Bermuda can expect to have their work cut out at the ICC Tournament in Malaysia later this month as, like themselves, several other countries have hired the services of high profile coaches and former Test players.

In Australian Bobby Simpson, Bermuda have one of the most successful coaches in world cricket, having helped transform the Australian Test team into a major force in the past decade.

Simpson was with the Bermuda team in Guyana for the Shell/Sandals last October and will rejoin the squad in Malaysia in time for their opening match on March 24. The Bermuda team depart this Saturday.

Former West Indies Test players Gordon Greenidge, Larry Gomes and Roger Harper have all agreed to coach countries who are trying to boost their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.

Greenidge recently signed a three-year contract to coach Bangladesh, one of the tournament favourites, while Gomes is working with the Canada team and Harper the United States.

Gomes, who played for a couple of seasons in the Toronto and District Cricket League in the 1980s, took up his post in January while Harper, the Guyana all-rounder, started working with the US team last year and returned in January. His contract will run until May.

Bermuda will come up against a former coach when they play their first Group D match against Italy who are being guided by Englishman Doug Ferguson who coached the Bermuda national team in 1992-93.

Italy and Scotland, coached by former Yorkshire batsman Jim Love, are the two newcomers to the sixth ICC Tournament which has attracted a record 22 associate member countries. The only country missing is Nepal who only became a member last July and thus were too late to enter.

"Our choice of Simpson was criticised because some felt he was too expensive for Bermuda,'' said Bermuda Cricket Board of Control president Ed Bailey.

"But the fact is the board were looking for quality in a coach and a person who had a good record and had been continuously coaching. Simpson happened to be coaching Australia for at least 10 years and no doubt he was among the top in the world.'' Test stars aid ICC teams From Page 17 Added Bailey: "Of course, Simpson may have quoted more money than other people had quoted, but you have to give credit where credit is due because of his wide experience. He has just left a country that is the leading team in the world.'' In his recently published book, "The Reasons Why'', which Simpson personally signed for Bailey, he wrote: "Ed, it has been a great pleasure for me to have had the opportunity of working with you. Let's make the ICC championship the fulfillment of your dream''.

Bermuda are the top seeds in Group D which also contains Scotland, Hong Kong, Italy and Papua New Guinea. Two teams advance to the second round from each of the four groups.

Kenya are the top seeds in Group A which also has Gibraltar, Ireland, Israel, Singapore and the USA while Bangladesh are the top ranked team in Group B.

Also in that group are Argentina, Denmark, Malaysia, UAE and West Africa.

Group C is made up of Canada, East and Central Africa, Fiji, Namibia and top seeds Holland.

A total of eight venues will be used in Malaysia with the matches taking place on artificial pitches over a 21-day period. The weather is expected to be very hot and humid with rain late in the afternoon on most days. Annual rainfall is over 200 inches.

Scotland are seen as one of the dark horses for a World Cup place (the top three teams go to England in 1999).

Whether the United Arab Emirates can follow their 1994 success when they won the tournament is questionable now that the change in qualification rules will hurt them the most.

Three years ago the UAE team contained, by birth, nine Pakistanis, five Indians, a Sri Lankan and one Emirate, captain Sultan Zaravani.

But under new regulations drafted by the ICC Qualifications Committee which was chaired by Bailey, no more than five expatriates can take the field and at least seven have to be citizens of the country they are representing. Bailey will also serve as a match referee during the tournament with former New Zealand captain John Reid appointed Director of Referees.

Only five players from the UAE World Cup team remain with Sri Lanka's Champaka Ramanayaka the coach.

The stiffer qualification regulations have forced Holland, who beat Bermuda in the '94 third-place play-off, to concentrate more on home grown talent. Their top batsman in Kenya, Barbados-born Nolan Clarke, is missing this time along with Sri Lankan Flavian Aponso.

Much is also expected of Ireland who made their ICC debut in 1994 and lost all their second round games. But now they have a national coach, former England seamer Mike Hendrick, who has been coach and manager for two years.