Bermuda's preparations for upcoming One Day Internationals (ODI) and Intercontinental Cup commitments are being undermined by a lack of outdoor practice in the middle at the National Sports Centre (NSC).

Three of the NSC's four batting strips have been deemed off-limits by the International Cricket Council (ICC), while the remaining strip is presently being used to accomodate local cricket matches.

National cricket coach Gus Logie is keen to have his squad train on the NSC's one available batting strip.

However, scheduling conflicts have deprived the senior national squad of a turf wicket to train on ¿ just weeks ahead of three ODIs against Canada in Toronto next month and July's Intercontinental Cup match with fellow ICC Associates Scotland on home soil.

"It's not as though they (senior national squad) are banned from using the field for training.

"The facility is not unavailable for practice; it's just that it's not always available when they want it," an NSC spokesman said.

Earlier this month the ICC declared the NSC suitable to resume hosting first class cricket matches after a nearly four-year absence.

World cricket's governing body also requested that no cricket be played on three of the venue's batting strips to allow for more grass to grow in those specific areas for July's Intercontinental Cup match.

"One of the things the ICC specified in their report was for us to grow more grass on the wicket that has been designated for the Scotland match and also not to use two of the adjacent wickets," the NSC spokesman added.

"We have four wickets up there and the ICC want us to use wicket number two for the Scotland match and have also asked us not to use wickets one and three."

A fourth wicket is currently being used to accomodate domestic matches and could be used by Logie's men for training purposes. But so far the senior national squad have been unable to secure dates to practice in the middle at the NSC ¿ a dilemma that has left coach Logie with limited options.

"As far as the national team is concerned we need a place to train ¿ it's as simple as that because I am tired of training indoors," the ex-Windies star vented.

"We need to play some cricket outdoors in the middle and I would certainly like to have use of the pitch to get in some practise ¿ but at the moment nothing is available."

The senior national team are currently training indoors on artificial surfaces but Logie would rather prefer to have his men exposed to turf conditions instead.

"We have to replicate what we are going to meet up against when we play games.

"If we play on hard surfaces all of the time and then play a team on a soft surface the players will not be prepared properly," he stressed.

"If you are training on an artificial surface where the ball doesn't deviate as much and then go and play on a turf wicket where the ball turns and keeps low or bounces high, obviously you are going to be out of sorts.

"So it's only natural that you try and simulate the conditions that you are going to meet in a game, and that is what we want to do.

"We want to start simulating game sense situations that we may encounter in a game.

"But at the moment we are limited and none of our fast bowlers can stretch out because the space is limited.

"We have been using the bowling machines but we need to have our batsmen batting and running between the wickets in game sense training, which can only be done in the middle."

With the senior national squad also preparing for a historical ODI against the West Indies and Twenty20 World Cup qualifiers this summer, one might've expected NSC bosses to make it a top priority to have Logie's men practise on the one available batting strip at their leisure.

This, however, simply hasn't been the case with the senior national squad having seemingly been forced to take a back seat.

And this, Logie asserted, may have a negative influence on his team's preparations for what will be another busy international schedule this summer and beyond.

"We need to know the wicket (NSC) more and familarise ourselves on our own home conditions," he added.

"If we are going to play home matches then we must know how the conditions are going to play because if we don't then we will be going into no man's land just like the opposition (Scotland)."

Earlier this month Sports Minister El James, commented: "The groundsmen have done their part.

"The next step is for the players and coaches to make sure the team is prepared to take on Scotland and show them how we can perform."