Much has been written and said about Bermuda's embarrassing showing at the Stanford 20/20. It was not so long ago when I was part of a similar embarrassment.

I know how devastated some of the players must feel. My concern is for those players who are not devastated.

The dismal display in Antigua was merely a product of the current regime and the tip of the iceberg.

At least now the Government, media and the Bermudian public have put the cancerous state of the sport firmly under the microscope.

But if drastic changes are not made then this newfound awareness, along with the 'Big Debate', will have been completely in vain.

If the Bermuda Cricket Board was a company, would the existing CEO and president still have a job?

For what it's worth, I think not.

Crucially there must be critical, and widespread, changes at the BCB, who are failing badly in their role as custodians of cricket, and much soul searching must be done by those privileged enough to be selected to play for Bermuda.

In my opinion these two issues are at the heart of the problem and major surgery is required on both counts.

Unless a new system, structure and mindset are adopted Bermuda will continue to fall over the same hurdles every time. The Government's millions won't make a scrap of difference. Players need to learn what it means to be part of a team.

From my experience, the BCB made and continues to make poor decisions, accountability to the stakeholders appears not to be a priority, they're not transparent in their dealings (only a few know exactly what goes on), communication is a major area of concern as it's usually done in response to something and executed half baked, and I haven't heard anything about them trying to become less reliant on Government funding.

As for the players, they'd do well to adhere to the phrase, "for the love of the game".

I read Shaun Goater's 'Big Debate' article with interest. You could have substituted the word 'cricket' for 'football' because it seems the two national sports share the same ills.

Players' attitudes are infected with a reluctance to get out of their comfort zones. Many are just not serious about representing their country and unwilling to make the required sacrifices.

Ask the trainers, physio, nutritionist and sport psychologist if it was fun working with the national cricket team?

Hardly any members of the team were prepared to do the little, but vital, extras in training. Certain players believed because they'd scored lots of runs or taken lots wickets domestically they could just turn up, flick a switch and expect to do well against international teams. Arrogance or naivety? You be the judge.

As a result training sessions were often taken less than seriously.

Prior to the World Cup coach Gus Logie made himself available during lunch hours for one-on-one sessions. I know of only a handful of players who actually took him up on this offer.

During our preparations West Indian legends Courtney Walsh and Joel Garner visited the Island for coaching sessions. Now Walsh and Garner are two of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and would you believe that some bowlers failed to turn up for a session with them opting instead to attend a wedding the night before.

If Walsh and Garner don't inspire you, then who will? This is the mindset Logie is fighting.

This might be a bitter pill to swallow but if these negative attitudes persist maybe Bermuda should just stick to playing domestic cricket.

I always felt some senior players were absent of national pride and gave little value to playing for their country. Playing cricket is something they did instead of something they loved.

Striking up conversation with Muttiah Mularitharan and getting his and Sacchin Tendulkar's autographs at the World Cup were moments I'll cherish forever.

While some players resembled kids in a sweet shop at the tournament, others didn't share the same passion. I'm afraid you can't teach old dogs new tricks and a few of the players were set in their unprofessional ways.

During the tournament I was given a one-match suspension for not attending a cocktail party, even though I had informed the BCB in advance that I was staying with my wife and infant son instead.

As always with the BCB, it was a case of different stokes for different folks and I paid a heavy price since I took representing Bermuda very seriously.

Other players seemed to be able to behave inappropriately and flout curfews during that tournament, but escaped with only a reprimand or a small fine.

But as I came to learn very quickly the BCB prefer 'yes men' and I'd already been labelled because I wasn't scared to speak up and challenge them when I felt they were short-changing cricket and the cricketers.

The team manager made it very easy for me to undermine him, as he was definitely not the right man for the job. I believe he is still the manager but now he cracks jokes about "taking care of your wives and children".

BCB's role was not rocket science and they could not even do the basics properly.

Ask the BCB who was responsible for drafting the player compensation plan?

Ask the manager who saved his 'behind' on a tour in Kenya when he failed to realise he did not have air tickets for some players from Nairobi to Johannesburg?

Tours and travel plans are usually left to the CEO to decide by himself. On a recent trip, the team flew from Copenhagen to Amsterdam via London. A trip that took about ten hours, I was told.

Yet there were direct flights from Copenhagen to Amsterdam that would have taken one hour.

A few guys had special dietary requirements and on numerous occasions it was left to the players to sort out their own arrangements.

If I look into my imaginary crystal ball in two years' time the worst case scenario would be Gus no longer around, David Hemp no longer around, Bermuda not qualifying for the next World Cup and losing its ODI status, the Government withdrawing or reducing their funding, current BCB members jumping ship and the organisation falling to pieces.

How can we prevent this bleak, and very possible, picture from becoming a reality?

Firstly the Government needs to acknowledge that issues need addressing. Call all the stakeholders for a meeting and devise a road map for improvement.

The domestic game needs to be revolutionised. There are too many weak teams that need to amalgamate.

Pitches need to vastly improve and the BCB must employ three or four full-time groundsmen. As for not even having a wicket fit for international cricket, and players training at a school gym (when it suits the school), well, it's an absolute joke!

Brand new practice equipment still lies rotting, unused, at domestic clubs. The clubs must also be held accountable and respect the equipment their Government has paid for.

Crucially, programmes need to be established allowing players, young and old, to develop abroad. Circumstances permitting, it would be easy to fix them up with league clubs in England or South Africa during the off-season. My advice for talented youngsters like Malachi Jones and Rodney Trott is to continue their development off the Island, like Stefan Kelly.

I'm afraid it's in the best interests of the national team.

There's plenty of raw talent here but if it's nurtured in the current environment it will become infected and adopt the same bad habits and technical deficiencies as some of the senior players.

Let's introduce training records and name and shame athletes who fail drug tests and don't put the effort in during sessions. Just showing up at training does not count.

At least it would stop the public calling for the selection of those who are either prevented from playing, or have no desire to play.

Ex-players who care about being part of the solution such as Clay Smith and Dean Minors should be involved in areas of coaching, administrating and management once they have received the proper training.

And we must strive to have the best 11 players available on the pitch for every match. The BCB's complete lack of consultation with players' employers is often to blame for this.

Take Kevin Hurdle, one of Bermuda's best players who hasn't been available for recent tours because of work commitments.

Had the BCB talked to his employer's months in advance, a mutually beneficial arrangement could have been worked out. It should not be up to a player to sort this out for himself, as has been the case with some players.

Businesses must bend over backwards and allow players time off to tour. The BCB are aware of tour dates long in advance - is a little forward planning too much to ask?

I became sick and tired of worrying about factors the BCB should have been taking out of my hands. It's about time they got their act together.

Too many times I have heard them say, 'you worry about playing cricket and we will take care of the administration'.

Frankly, I did not trust them to take care of the administration and they did not disappoint me and after the World Cup my tolerance level for such gross negligence and incompetence dropped to zero.

They made it very easy for me to say that I have had enough. I would have loved to continue representing Bermuda but I could not "concentrate" on the cricket and leave the administration to them.

For an Island with a very small talent pool, the last thing that the BCB should be doing is making it easy for players who still have a bit to contribute to walk away from the international stage.

In my opinion if the BCB's management was comprised of different individuals, the likes of Clay Smith, Charlie Marshall, Glenn Blakeney and Dean Minors might still be representing their country.

In its current form the future is bleak for Bermuda cricket. But does it have to be? No.

And just in case anyone forgot. I don't like cricket. I love it!

For the BCB's executives and CEO I have the following questions:

1 How much money have you received from Government, Stanford 20/20, the World Cup, and sponsors etc?

2. How much of it is left?

3 What has the money been spent on?

4 What is your current vision? And how do you plan to achieve it given the current issues?

5 Similar to requirements for listed companies, are all Board members aware of the dealings of the CEO?

6 What are the criteria for the selection/retention for the coach, manager and players?

7 Who are the Board members and what purpose do they serve?

8 What is the upcoming schedule and what is the preparation plan? Have businesses been consulted to get potential players time off work?

9 Who are the players that have failed drug tests and why was this not communicated when results became known? Why did you wait to comment after The Royal Gazette broke the story?

10 Who are the players who have been approached to represent Bermuda but according to you refused the invitation?

11 Why the inconsistent treatment of players? Most recently Janeiro v Lionel. What is the policy regarding disciplinary procedures? Who decides who gets charged?

12 What happens to the manager, coach and physio tour reports?

13 Who is in charge? The president or the CEO?

Saleem Mukuddem interview by Stephen Wright