Off the past two days after squeaking by much-improved Hong Kong, Bermuda slipped into third place in the standings as Denmark defeated West Africa and Hong Kong crushed Fiji on Thursday.

Denmark lead the group with a superior run rate while Hong Kong, who upset the Danes in their first match, look certainties to reach the quarter-finals with a match against West Africa.

Bermuda will want to exorcise the demons of 1990 when they met Fiji, the team who started a worst ever performance that last time out in Holland.

This Fiji team does not look in the same class as Bermuda. They have been twice dismissed for 126, by Denmark on Tuesday and Hong Kong on Thursday. The final score against Hong Kong was actually flattering as 37 runs were gained from one over as Hong Kong (using a seldom-used bowler) deliberately increased their winning target so as to further improve their own run rate.

For Bermuda, who have a run rate of 3.46, the danger of missing the quarter-finals is real if they slip up against Denmark in the final first round match on Monday. So victory today is imperative and for that matter also against Denmark.

"Fiji tomorrow is probably our most important match,''said captain Albert Steede yesterday. "We want to win our group and we need to beat Fiji so we can go into the match against Denmark with nothing less than 12 points.

"This is a very important match for us if we want to be number one in our group and I think we are doing quite well collectively. Individually, some can do better, but as a team we're doing quite well.'' Bermuda will revert to the starting team from the opening match against West Africa with Charlie Marshall replacing Jeff Richardson.

Marshall sat out the Hong Kong match after suffering from a stomach virus that morning. Richardson did not help his chances of cementing a place in the team as he only made seven on the day when several of the top bats failed.

Wicket-keeper Dean Minors was the hero with an unbeaten 46 in an ICC-record ninth-wicket partnership of 48 with Terry Burgess.

Opener Dexter Smith has been the leading run-getter thus far with scores of 54 not out and 44 while Burgess and Anthony Edwards -- five for 27 against Hong Kong -- have been equally impressive.

With Bermuda resting, the tournament beat has been uneventful with a number of one-sided affairs.

The action heats up today, though, as second seeds Bangladesh take on the United States in Group B while hosts Kenya play Canada in Group C Tomorrow.

Yesterday, in a match-up of probable quarter-finalists Holland beat Ireland by 71 runs.

Kenya became the first team to reach the next round but they had to battle to defeat Namibia by 20 runs.

Bermuda team: Dexter Smith, Albert Steede, Clay Smith, Charlie Marshall, Arnold Manders, Noel Gibbons, Clevie Wade, Dean Minors, Anthony Edwards, Terry Burgess, Bruce Perinchief. Reserve: Del Hollis.

CHARLIE MARSHALL -- Returns to the Bermuda team.