The elevation of Dean Minors to opener may have proved the biggest success story of an otherwise disappointing one-dayer series in Kenya.

Now four-day skipper Clay Smith, forced out of that series with a slight hamstring injury, is pondering whether he too should move to the top of the order to help give Bermuda the kind of solid foundation that has been lacking in almost all of their one-day matches.

While Minors compiled a rock-solid 69 in the last of the one-day games, his partner Stephen Outerbridge fell for a duck, and the day before he made 29 after fellow opener Kwame Tucker had departed for just three, although Tucker did top score with 35 in the first match of the series.

Watching from the sidelines, Smith felt the veteran wicketkeeper had made a big difference in his new role.

?Dean has taken the bull by the horns and basically come on board for us,? he said.

?It?s something we have to look at now, whether to leave him in that position on a more consistent basis. It?s just a matter of finding the right partner, somebody who?s willing to step up to the plate and take the challenge.?

And could that partner be Smith himself?

?It could be me, definitely,? he said.

?With David (Hemp) in the team now, it adds some depth to the middle order whereas more or less before I was stabilising in that area.

?It could be a situation where I go up to the top and stabilise from the front.?

Apart from the performance of Minors, Smith said he was also impressed by teenager Malachi Jones, who has now returned to the Island to be replaced by Lionel Cann.

?Malachi has really blossomed. He has shown that he can definitely play at this level. I think that was a real positive,? Smith said.

?A few of the batsmen have also come into their own over the last couple of games, and the fielding has been reasonably good.

?I just think we have to work on our consistency with the bowling. The first game we bowled well, the last two games we didn?t. It?s cost us.

?Again we have to learn from it, but we have to learn from it fast because teams like Netherlands and Canada who we have to play next, those are teams we expect to beat and should be beating. We need to put together a string of wins to build up our confidence again.

?There?s a lot we should have learned. One thing, to be able to compete at this level you have to be able to play two parts of the game.

?I think in all three games, we managed to play half of the game well and the other half poorly. That?s not good enough, so it?s more about being consistent on a regular basis in all areas. Hopefully in South Africa we can put it all together.?

Smith say?s he?ll be ready for the first of five matches scheduled in Pretoria, the first next Tuesday a four-day Intercontinental Cup game against Holland.

?It?s (injury) looking good. Hopefully I?ll be able to get back into the thick of things soon,? he said.

?I was even considering playing in the last game (in Mombasa). Had it been a one-all series, I would have pushed it. But with the series over and done with, I could afford to give the leg some more rest.?

One aspect Smith won?t relish on his return will be the searing heat which appears to have affected all of the Bermuda players.

?No doubt, it?s extremely hot in these parts, hotter than we?re used to,? he admitted.

?It?s been more troublesome for the bowlers. Whereas normally they?d bowl a six or seven over spell, they?ve had to bowl four or five overs at a time.

?It?s something we?ve discussed, rotating the bowlers more frequently, so that the batsmen don?t get accustomed to it and of course saving our bowlers from heat exhaustion.

?But the bowlers have to be honest with the skipper.?