If the pre-tournament tour of England this week was intended as an opportunity to iron out any kinks in the national cricket team, coach Gus Logie discovered yesterday he might require more than an ordinary iron - a steamroller might be more appropriate.

Somehow, in a match that was there for the taking, Bermuda self-destructed with as an abysmal display of batting as anyone connected with the national squad could ever remember.

Namibia might be among the favourites to advance to the World Cup at the ICC Trophy starting in Ireland next week, and they might be a team of full professionals, but there was really no excuse for the way the Island's batsmen capitulated in the face of a tight, accurate but not particularly

pacy Namibian attack.

But for a gutsy late stand between number eight Saleem Mukuddem and number nine Wendell White who put on 59 for the eighth wicket, Bermuda might have been utterly humiliated.

As it was the tailenders took the score past the century mark, adding respectability that was barely deserved.

And all this on the heels of a sensational international debut by England-based teenager Stefan Kelly, pictured right, who joined the squad at the invitation of Logie, and proceeded to rip through the Namibian top order to finish with magnificent figures of five for 23 in just 4.1 overs.

Exploiting the English conditions unlike any other Bermuda bowler has been able to do this week, Kelly had the Africans reeling at 27 for four as he claimed all four of those early wickets and then came back to finish off the tail with the first ball of his second spell.

But it was all in vain and, overlooked by the selectors for the trip to Ireland, he won't get chance to repeat those heroics when Bermuda begin their ICC challenge next Friday.

It's difficult to know what coach Logie made of yesterday's display as he sat video taping the entire proceedings. For the second successive day he declined to speak to the Press.

“Talk to them,” he said, pointing towards the players. “I'll have something to say in Ireland.”

Captain Clay Smith, dismissed for a duck, was more forthcoming, acknowledging that his side's batting had been “just awful”.

“We didn't get settled, no one really got stuck in and applied themselves,” said Smith. “From that aspect, we have a long way to go.

“But to be fair we did fiddle with our batting order a little bit just to give some guys a hit, those who haven't been out in the middle much. At the end of the day, it's just a process. When we get to Ireland we'll be fine tuning our line-up and putting out a stronger team.”

Smith rejected the suggestion that yesterday's loss might affect team confidence.

“It doesn't really hurt our confidence. Our boys are bowling tremendously well. And we have enough batsmen. I'm sure once we put our batting order together some of the guys are going to get some big scores. We have to stay positive.”

And positive they were at the beginning of yesterday's match played yet again under brilliant blue skies.

Kelly, who has been asked to play for the Leicestershire Under-19 team next year, gave Bermuda a dream start as he had opener Stefan Swanepoel caught in the slips for a duck in his first over.

In his next over he scythed through the defence of new batsman Dani Keulder to send his off stump cartwheeling down the ground and leave Namibia reeling at 16-2.

It got even better in his third over when he enticed Riann Walters to hook straight into the hands of Mukuddem and the very next ball trapped Mornay Karg lbw for a golden duck.

The hat-trick wasn't to be, but while Namibia continued to score at almost six an over they were staggering at 28 for four.

Dennis Archer then got Dion Kotze to snick into the gloves of stand-in keeper Chris Foggo and with their opponents at 58 for five, Bermuda must have been thinking it was all to easy.

Alas, a sixth wicket stand worth 76 between opener JB Burger (59) and Louis Burger (35) got the Namibians back on track and it was eventually another of the Island's youngsters, Delyone Borden, who turned the tables.

He dismissed JB Burger with a fine catch off his own bowling and from his next ball new batsman Sarel Burger drove into the hands of Smith at mid-on.

A stunning catch by Janeiro Tucker off the bowling of Lionel Cann sent Louis Burger back to the pavilion and when Borden collected his third wicket, trapping Bjorne Kotze lbw for one, Namibia were again wobbling at 140-9.

A last wicket partnership of 34 between Hugo Ludik (9 not out) and Kola Burger (21) gave Namibia a total of 175, but with a target of 3.5 an over Bermuda would have fancied their chances of winning comfortably.

And had the early or even middle order shown a tad more patience and discipline, such optimism would have been well founded.

As it was, the first ten overs saw five wickets tumble. Not one of the first seven batsmen managed to progress into double figures.

Had a more cautious approach been taken against the twin-pronged pace attack of Kola Burger (three for nine off eight overs) and Sarel Burger (four for 27 off ten), runs would surely have flowed once their allotted overs had expired.

But by the time they eventually departed, Bermuda's innings was already in tatters.

Foggo (4), opening for the first time this week, was quick to get off the mark with a boundary, but that joy was short lived as he cut into the hands of Louis Burger.

Steede (9) was perhaps more unfortunate, and not for the first time this week, as he was adjudged lbw from a ball which appeared headed down the leg side.

At 16 for two it wasn't looking good, and it was soon to get much worse.

Flaying at a ball outside off stump, Pitcher (4) offered a comfortable catch to slip Keulder, his replacement Lionel Cann got off the mark with a towering six over long-on but then smashed straight back into the hands of bowler Sarel Burger two balls later, and skipper Smith was given out

lbw on the second ball he faced, also from Sarel Burger.

When Borden was bowled for a duck by Kola Burger and Tucker (4) holed out to Swanepoel at deep mid-on off Sarel Burger, Bermuda were tottering on the brink of embarrassment at 32 for seven.

Victory out of sight, it was now a matter of pride. And White and Mukuddem managed to restore some semblance of respectability, surviving the next 18 overs in a stand worth 59. But it was always too little, too late.

When Mukuddem (20) went in the 33rd over, caught by Swanepoel off Keulder attempting to sweep, the end was near. White (34) quickly followed, his hook shot snared just inside the boundary ropes by Keulder off Dion Kotze and Archer (2) ended the misery as he offered a simple return catch to Kotze.

Today the squad leave England behind and head for Belfast where a couple of days' rest await before Monday's friendly against the Northern Cricket Union President's XI in Armagh.

By then they might all have had time to watch Logie's video. It will, no doubt, make interesting viewing.