Arnold Manders, Herbie Bascome, Clay Smith and Lorenzo Tucker are the four candidates being considered for the national team’s head coaching position by the Bermuda Cricket Board.

All applicants have completed the interview process, which included a presentation and mock training session, with the appointment expected to be made next month.

The BCB executive are scheduled to meet on Thursday, December 10 when the interview panel’s recommendation for the vacant post will be discussed and decided upon, Neil Speight, the BCB chief executive, said yesterday.

“Things are moving forward and the interview panel have concluded what they plan to do and are putting together their recommendation,” Speight said.

According to the job description, posted on the BCB website, the candidates had to have a minimum Level Two qualification and at least three years of coaching at the senior level.

Manders, who had to reapply for a position he held until September, having replaced Australian David Moore in March, 2013, and Tucker are the only Level Three coaches on the Island.

In an interview with The Royal Gazette in September, Manders said he was determined to lead Bermuda to promotion from the ICC Pepsi World Cricket League Division Four, having suffered relegation in Malaysia in March under Allan Douglas, the interim coach.

Douglas, who replaced Manders at the eleventh hour after he withdrew because of health reasons, paid a heavy price for Bermuda’s poor showing on and off the field, with the BCB firing him as its vice-president.

“I’ll put my application in and whatever happens, happens,” Manders said. “I don’t know if they would want to go down from a Level Three for a national coach. If I’ve got to apply, I’ve got to apply — it’s no big deal.”

Tucker has been part of the national team coaching set-up for many years as a fast bowling coach and match analyst, as well as working extensively with the National Academy sides.

He was handed the BCB’s Special Coach award at last month’s annual prize-giving ceremony, a new category recognising a coach that performs “above and beyond the call of duty”.

As the captain of Bermuda’s 2007 World Cup squad, Smith also has plenty of top-level pedigree and arguably possesses the most dominant personality of the four hopefuls.

Smith has been coaching Premier Division side Cleveland County for the past two seasons, winning the Eastern Counties for the first time in 33 years in 2014 and successfully defending the title last season.

Cleveland also won last season’s Champion of Champions final, a match that was marred by shameful scenes of fighting between Cleveland wicketkeeper Jason Anderson and Willow Cuts batsman George O’Brien. Anderson was subsequently banned from cricket for life by the BCB.

Bascome is also experienced at the international level, having served as Gus Logie’s assistant coach. Last season Bascome, a former Bermuda all-rounder, turned out for St George’s in the First Division.

All four candidates have presented an outline of how they would gain promotion from Division Four, a tournament Bermuda will be involved in next year against the United States, Denmark and Italy. The top two teams from the six-team division will be promoted.

The ICC World Cricket League is a series of international one-day tournaments for teams without Test status.

All associate and affiliate members of the ICC are eligible to compete in the league system, which provides a qualification system for the World Cup, as well as offering an opportunity for sides to play one-day matches against teams of a similar standard.