Bermuda made an inauspicious start to their ICC Trophy tournament campaign with a crushing, seven wicket loss to 1994 runners-up Kenya in a warm-up match at the RRI Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday.

Bermuda were bundled out for a miserly 123 and the east Africans accomplished their goal with more than 20 overs remaining.

This was the first meeting between the two nations since Kenya scored a massive semi-final victory in Nairobi three years ago. And, despite Albert Steede winning the toss and electing to bat on the astroturf surface, they again assumed a position of dominance from early on.

The Bermuda batsmen struggled with their timing for much of the innings as slow and low bounce was quite the opposite of what was encountered during the team's only net session a day previously. The first incidence of this was when opener Roger Trott was bowled for one playing back to a Steve Tikolo shooter when the total was five in the third over.

Tikolo, one of Kenya's two star batsmen -- resting skipper Maurice Odumbe is the other -- made quite an impression, having abandoned his early-career off-breaks for off-cutters from a 12-pace run-up. And at the other end, with front-line pacer Martin Suji also resting, seamer Edward Tito partnered Tikolo in a useful new-ball tandem.

Bermuda laboured for seven more overs before Clay Smith became the second wicket to fall, caught at mid-wicket for nine off Tito. The back of Smith was a great sight for the Kenyans who remember all too well the epic century he took off them in the '94 semi-finals.

From 27 for two after 10 overs skipper Steede and Charlie Marshall went about repairing the damage. But like too many other Bermuda partnerships, their union was broken just as the Kenyans were being given the run around.

Marshall, who made nine off the first four balls he faced, including two boundaries, was out for 19 with the total 58; playing a half-hearted shot against left-arm slow bowler Asif Karim into the mid-wicket region. A similar situation unfolded for the fourth wicket partnership of Steede and Glenn Smith. The latter looked set after scoring 20 from 33 balls, with one boundary, but was caught inside the square-leg boundary off David Tikolo; yet another shot that lacked full conviction.

The lesser-known Tikolo, whose memory of the '94 ICC Trophy was tainted by a serious arm injury only days before the start, proved a thorn in Bermuda's side with his change-of-pace bowling.

Bermuda crushed by Kenya at ICC Shortly after dismissing Smith with the total 87, he struck twice again within the next seven runs.

Jermaine Postlethwaite (one), playing well ahead of himself and stopping, gave a simple return catch and then came the wicket to break the back of the Bermuda innings.

Steede attempted to turn a ball towards the on side and was adjudged lbw for a team-high 26. He faced 80 balls and batted for 140 minutes.

At 94 for six and 33 overs down, Bermuda's best chance at a defensible total required occupation of the crease for the remainder of the allotted 50 overs.

But they only lasted for another 10, with no remaining batsmen unduly troubling the scorers.

Dave Tikolo's fine spell brought him four for 10 from seven overs. Karim was his steady self with two for 13 from while right-arm wrist spinner Zafir Din claimed two for 17.

The Kenyan innings was given a flyer by the promotion of acting skipper Karim to opening bat as well as the wildness of seamer Corey Hill.

Karim blazed his way to 34 out of a stand of 54 in 13 overs with Sandeep Gupta (15) to give Kenya the sort of start which would stand them in good stead during the middle overs.

Their cause was aided by Hill who sent down an incredible nine wides in his first two overs. He bowled four more in a four-over second spell to finish with figures of none for 41 from six.

At the other end, young Kevin Hurdle's solitary spell of none for 15 from five was commendable, while Postlethwaite tied things down at first change and actually broke the opening stand.

Hill made some amends for his wayward bowling with an excellent running catch to send back Karim, and Bermuda followed with two more wickets in close order.

But they had far too little to play with and thus had no answer to an unbroken, fourth-wicket stand of 28 between speedsters Hitesh Modi (21) and Kennedy Otieno (11).

In between, Steve Tikolo showed his class in reaching 21 before becoming Arnold Manders' second victim.

Manders was the pick of the Bermuda bowlers with two for 18 from 6.4 overs.

Postlethwaite claimed one for 20 from six.

"Today, first up, we were having a look at the wickets trying to get adjusted,'' said a sombre coach Allan Douglas. "So the batsmen now understand how we should address some of the problems.

"From the bowling we can see that we've still got to bowl at the stumps.

These little things we are picking up and have to sort out before we get into the tournament. We have another match tomorrow and hopefully we can streamline things a little better.'' Australian consultant Bob Simpson was unavailable for comment, but his team meeting highlighted the obvious in batsmen not carrying on after getting starts and bowlers improving on their accuracy.

Bermuda today face Canada in their second and final practice match before opening the tournament against former coach Doug Ferguson and Italy next Monday.

Seeing action for the first time will be Del Hollis, Kameron Fox, Roger Blades, Janeiro Tucker and late replacement Dexter Smith, who flew into Malaysia on Tuesday night.

The Bermuda team against Canada in likely batting order is: Dexter Smith, Roger Trott (wicketkeeper), Clay Smith (captain), Charlie Marshall, Glenn Smith Janeiro Tucker, Del Hollis, Roger Blades, Bruce Perinchief, Kevin Hurdle, Kameron Fox.