Bermuda head into the North America Cup on the heels of back to back warm-up wins in Cayman Islands, with head coach Cal Waldron acknowledging areas for improvement despite his side securing two victories in their warm-up matches against Cayman Islands opposition at the Jimmy Powell Oval.
Following a dominant opening win over the Cayman Islands A team, Bermuda endured a tougher test in their second outing, ultimately holding their nerve for a tight 8-run victory over a Cayman Islands President's XI.
Speaking after the second win, Waldron emphasized the need for further refinement ahead of the upcoming North America Cup. "We still know some things need to be shifted and get right," he stated. "We're aware that moving on from here, we realize the things that we need to sort out and we need to fix. But kudos to the guys, they bowled well, they stayed in the match and put themselves at the end of the day in a position to win it."
Mirroring their performances in Argentina, Bermuda's bowling and fielding have been the cornerstones of their warm-up successes. Across the two matches, they have restricted the opposition to a combined total of just 190 runs while claiming an impressive 18 wickets. All-rounder Delray Rawlins has been particularly effective with the ball, bagging five wickets over the two games. Youngster Zeko Burgess has also impressed, picking up four wickets in his two appearances. Meanwhile, Kevon Fubler, arguably one of Bermuda's standout bowlers since his inclusion in the national program, showcased his quality with four wickets in the single match he featured in.
With the bat, captain Terryn Fray has led from the front, accumulating 71 runs across his two innings. Rawlins has also chipped in with valuable contributions, scoring 61 runs in his two outings. However, Waldron will likely be looking for more consistent contributions throughout the batting order as they prepare for sterner tests in the North America Cup.
Bermuda's campaign in the tournament gets underway tomorrow, Saturday, April 19th, with a highly anticipated clash against one of the pre-tournament favorites, Canada. The match is scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm Bermuda time and will be played at the familiar surroundings of the Jimmy Powell Oval. With two warm-up victories under their belt, Bermuda will be aiming to carry that momentum into their opening fixture against a strong Canadian side.
