Coach Andre Manders has challenged Rodney Trott and Malachi Jones to put themselves in the shop window for professional contracts at the Under 19 World Cup.

The gifted duo will carry the weight of the Island's hopes on their shoulders in Malaysia following the withdrawal of fellow match-winner Stefan Kelly because of school commitments.

And Manders believes next month's showpiece could be the making of them with pro-scouts sure to be on the lookout for young talent.

"Malachi and Rodney will be looking to do well at the tournament and maybe win a scholarship," said Manders. "I think Malachi will definitely be looking to go to England and if he plays well out there then you never know what can happen.

"We've talked to both of them about the possibilities that could arise for them at this tournament. There will be a lot of scouts at the tournament looking for talent and Rodney, Malachi and maybe Chris Douglas stand a chance.

"Of course we already have Stefan at school in England so he already has one foot in the door, which is great for Bermuda. Rodney and Malachi are looking to follow suit. Even if they don't go to England there may be other professional opportunities out there for them."

Jones, who will serve as Trott's vice-captain, made a name for himself as the youngest World Cup wicket-taker in history in Trinidad last year, and Manders feels the sky's the limit for the Southampton Rangers allrounder.

"Malachi is a great allrounder and it's up to him how far he wants to go," he said. "At the moment I think he needs to build up his upper body strength, but he's still young. If these boys can make it professionally, or semi-professionally, it will certainly help Bermuda out a lot."

While Manders' men will be underdogs against England and Bangladesh, he expects his team to be competitive against the likes of Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Nepal.

"Bangladesh are probably ahead of us because they have about three or four players who played at the senior World Cup, whereas we have one," he said. "It will also be very hard against England; we will definitely have our work cut out there.

"But against teams like Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Nepal we should be very competitive and maybe even against Ireland as well. It all depends on the sort of start we make."

The squad travelled to India yesterday en-route to Malaysia and will attend the World Cricket Academy at the Bombay Gymkhana, Mumbai, from February 2 to February 10.

In India they will take part in an intensive training programme and play at least three warm-up matches

Manders added: "The conditions in India will be pretty similar to Malaysia so the boys will be able to get used to the wickets, surroundings and culture."