and painful memories of drugs charges against four of their players behind them and enjoy this weekend's two-match Bermuda tour.

Although the drugs charges were eventually dropped by Grenadian authorities, tour manager Khalid Mahmood said the episode, combined with a string of injuries, have made things extremely difficult for the tourists.

But the manager is fully aware of his team's commitment to the Bermuda tour and intends to maintain a professional approach as they go into the limited overs matches at St. David's and Somerset Cricket Club.

However, Bermuda may not get the chance to see Pakistan's most successful batsman, Javed Miandad, who is currently playing in the third Test in Antigua.

Without being specific, the tour manager declared that Miandad "may have to go back'' when commenting on the fact that they have already had the squad dwindled down from 17 to 14 because of injuries.

Already Aamir Sohail, the left-hand opening batsman, has returned home with a groin injury while also departing from the team through injury were leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed and fast bowler Aaqib Javed -- both experiencing back problems.

"We hope to manage to bring 14 players to Bermuda, but one (Miandad) may have to go back home early,'' said Mahmood yesterday from Antigua, adding that Miandad had pressing engagements in Pakistan.

"There has been quite a problem caused by injuries and consequently we have had to give the youngsters a chance. We've used three (newcomers) which is somewhat unusual on a tour like this.'' Although the tour came close to being cancelled because of the drugs charges against the four team members in Grenada -- skipper Wasim Akram, vice-captain Waqar Younis, Aaqib and Mushtaq -- Mahmood said that they were still looking forward to the trip to Bermuda.

"We still consider Bermuda to be very much a part of the itinerary even though everybody is keen to go back home. We are conscious of our responsibilities to visit Bermuda and we are certainly looking forward to coming because we have not been there,'' he said.

"The mood of the team after our experience in Grenada has never been 100 percent for cricket, at least not in the proper frame we should be in at a Test level, but it's part of our commitment and obligation to carry on as a team can and keep the unpleasant memories behind and somehow manage to pull through it all.'' The manager is well aware of the decision taken by ICC for the Test-playing countries to assist all ICC members as much as possible and he feels that a Pakistan visit to Bermuda will underline their desire to help further develop cricket in the Island.

"We consider our visit to Bermuda as part of ICC's plans to have Test countries visit the small cricket countries and I am sure that all of our players will be interested in seeing what kind of cricket there is in Bermuda,'' said Mahmood.

He added: "We are coming with a fresh, open mind and attitude.'' Pakistan will be playing two 50-overs games against the Bermuda national team. The first will be at Lord's in St. David's on Saturday and the second at Somerset CC on Sunday, both games starting at 11 a.m.

The team is scheduled to arrive in Bermuda on Friday evening.

While injuries seriously hampered Pakistan's failed quest for the unofficial world championship, Bermuda are experiencing their own problems.

Albert Steede has been struck by the injury bug that suddenly seems to come hand in hand with the Bermuda captaincy and will have to wait until later in the week to confirm his status for the weekend.

Steede pulled his right hamstring while fielding in Devonshire Rec's 101-run loss to Bailey's Bay on Sunday and is due for visit to the physio.

"I won't know about my prognosis until I go to the physio tomorrow,'' said Steede. "I injured myself fielding when a patch in the field made me overstep and I stretched it.'' Despite the injury, Steede opened the innings for Devonshire with a runner because wicket-keeper/batsman Roger Trott was also hurt on Sunday.

Trott's condition is also a worry for Bermuda selectors as he is in the 15-man squad for the weekend series against Pakistan.

He strained ligaments in his back while keeping wicket and after a session with Dr. Carol Hammond yesterday, the early-order bat's chances of turning out against Pakistan improved marginally.

Trott dropped down the order and appeared with a runner when Bay's victory was no longer in doubt. There was severe inflammation but that had subsided significantly by last night.

"Unless I am 100 percent I am not going to play,'' said Trott, who would be in line for selection on Sunday only. "Hopefully, I will be all right. It was nice to know that it was not serious.'' Devonshire will gratefully accept the break from the domestic schedule to regroup after two heavy defeats. A tough start sees them going against Western Stars (May 23) and Police (May 30) in their next matches, and skipper Steede accepts their title chances will weigh heavily on the results.

"We've just got to regroup,'' he said. "We have a few weeks to collect ourselves and we need to sort a few things out. I can't say it's any one person. As a group we have to look at things more clearly.'' JAVED MIANDAD.