Bermuda's preparations for their Intercontinental Shield game against Uganda have been thrown into chaos by the sudden loss of two key players.

Bowler Justin Pitcher has pulled out at the last minute, opting to concentrate on helping St. David's win the league, while fellow Islander Chris Douglas has been thrown off the team after missing training for three straight days.

With five senior players already ruled out through injury and personal commitments, the withdrawals mean Bermuda currently have just 11 players available for the four-day Shield game – which is set to begin on Monday at the National Sports Centre – two one-day games and a Twenty20 match against the visiting Africans.

It left the selectors desperately scrambling around until late last night looking for replacements who were fit, willing and able to play for their country.

They were still searching when The Royal Gazette went to press last night, and it is expected to take until this afternoon before anything is finalised.

The problem for the Bermuda Cricket Board is that replacements of sufficient talent are thin on the ground and a bowling attack that was drained of Stefan Kelly, Kyle Hodsol and George O'Brien had been left looking positively anaemic.

Of the bowlers that remain, Jacobi Robinson is the most likely replacement, but he and the board do not have a good relationship, and with only 48 hours notice it is going to be difficult to get anyone released from work commitments.

The only consolation for Bermuda, if it can be called that, is that Uganda have had some serious problems of their own getting a team together.

Already without Kenneth Kamyuka, Joel Olweny, Junior Kwebiha, Nehal Bibodi and Nandi Kishore, they then lost opening batsman Arthur Kyobe and opening bowler Daniel Ruyange who were refused UK visas moments before the team were due to leave on Thursday.

Ruyange has been replaced by under-19 star Denis Tabi who was already with the team, but it was too late to find a replacement for Kyobe.

In contrast, Pitcher was not forced into chosing between club or country. The BCB gave members of the squad the option to play for their club's this weekend if they wanted. But having chosen to play for his club in the Eastern Counties today and against Bailey's Bay in the league tomorrow, Pitcher felt that it would place too much stress on his body to then play a four-day game.

"There's a whole lot of cricket coming up and I'm not a machine," he said. "I'd be playing cricket nine days out of 10 if I played in the four-day game.

"I have the league on my mind at the moment, and I'm also playing in the Eastern Counties. I want to win the league with St David's, that is more important to me than playing for Bermuda at this time.

"I have told them (the BCB) that I will be available for the one-day games if they want me."

Douglas, who missed mandatory sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, was told he was being removed from the squad in a terse phone call with BCB chief executive Neil Speight yesterday morning.

Pitcher then informed the cricket board of his decision to drop out and play for his club, to complete a far from perfect few hours for coach Gus Logie.

"I am disappointed that these two players have removed themselves from the squad at this late stage," said BCB president Reggie Pearman. "We are fortunate to have this opportunity to host international cricket in Bermuda in all formats of the game against another leading Associate nation.

"It is important that the Board continues to stand to its values of openness, integrity, accountability and commitment to the game.

"I am pleased to note the majority of the young squad are working hard at being the best they can when they step out to represent our country with pride next week."