Bangladesh's reply

Game over! Banga win by seven wickets.

Scores: Bermuda 94-9 (Minors 26, OJ Pitcher 22) Bangladesh 96-3 (Mukuddem 3 for 19)

Bermuda's World Cup adventure is now at an end, having lost their third-consecutive game in the group stages. There will be plenty of time for reflection at a later date. But today, suffice to say Bermuda did OK in very difficult circumstances. They began their innings thinking they had 41 overs to bat and then all of a sudden were forced into a mad thrash with only five overs remaining. The rules of the competition worked heavily in favour of Bangladesh today, but after beating India so sensationally in the opening game, they certainly deserve their place in the Super 8s.

The Bermuda batsmen's flawed techique was exposed in this World Cup by the best international bowling, with only Hemp making a meaningful contribution in the second match with a 76 not out against India. Bowling-wise we struggled as well and other than a couple of decent spells (Mukuddem's today being a classic example) it was very hard indeed to keep the opposition in check.

That's all from the Queen's Park Oval.

See tomorrow's Gazette for full coverage, reaction and analysis of today's game.

After 17 overs: 91-3 Five to win. Ahraful and al Hassan gradually guiding Banga home.

After 16 overs: 85-3 11 now required off five overs. Borden continues.

After 15 overs: 82-3 Borden brought into the attack and goes for nine off his first over. Always seems to bowl in hugely difficult situations. I feel sorry for him in a way. Couple of mis-fields in this over confirm Bermuda's spirit is broken. Very dark now, the lights on the scoreboard are shining out blindingly across the ground.

After 14 overs: 73-3 Another seven off the over and the game is all-but over. Banga are almost certainly in the Super 8s and the slim hopes of a billion Indians are dashed. Five stoppages for rain in the Bermuda innings. None when Banga batted. Sums up Bermie's bad luck today.

After 13 overs: 66-3 an expensive one from Tucker that, seven off it. Sluggo and Tucker will no their best, but unless there's three quick wickets now, the game is well and truly gone.

After 12 overs: 59-3 A rank lop-hop from Sluggo is smashed just out of David Hemp's reach at mid-wicket. Four off the over and Banga are fairly comfortable now needing 37 off 54 balls...

After 11 overs: 54-3 OJ Pitcher had a good chance to dismiss the right-handed Ashaful who spooned a catch to mid-on off Tucker. But the young St. David's batsman always looked like he was going to miss the catch running back. He fell awkwardly in the dive though and has gone down for the count. Physio Craig Brown tends to him and he's eventually carted off on a stretcher. Probably broken a rib by the looks of things as he fell badly on his side. The ambulance has come to the side of the pitch and will take him off to hospital to get things checked. Not a great way for the young man to end his World Cup by any means. Another good over from Tucker though, only three off it. On comes the big spinner...

After ten overs: 51-3 Six off Mukky's last over but just a fantastic spell overall. Three for 19 off five - excellent. Sluggo presumably to take his place from the media centre end. 45 off 66 balls required...

After nine overs: 43-3 Janeiro Tucker comes into the attack from the pavilion end and his over goes for three. Good tight stuff from the part-timer. But with all this extravagant seam movement, might I suggest it was a mistake to leave Malachi Jones and Stefan Kelly out of today's team??

After eight overs: 42-3 Mukky strikes again! Has Nafees caught at second slip with a peach of delivery which nipped away sharply from the left-hander off the pitch. This is a sensational spell of bowling from the South African. Banga getting into jittery territory here, despite their healthy run rate. Problem is, do Bermuda have the depth of bowling resources to continue to exert pressure once Mukky has finished his spell?? Extras up to 19 with two marginal wides in Mukuddem's over (12 wides, three no balls and four byes) Just not good enough at this level.

After seven overs: 37-2. There have now been a total of 16 extras in this innings - almost half Banga's score! The conditions are very helpful but Hurdle in particular has been guilty of waywardness again. Both Mukky and Hurdle are getting some extreme movement off the pitch, one wonders what sort of damage a McGrath or a Jimmy Anderson would do in these conditions.

After six overs: 30-2 Mukky strikes! Gets Aftab Ahmed plumb lbw with a decent inswinger. The man's bowled beautifully so far in very difficult circumstances. Still got a four off the over, however. Meanwhile, for some bizarre reason, the target has been revised downwards from 95 to 94 - despite the fact that both teams are going to get 21 overs. Can anybody explain that to me please? It's probably not going to matter, but the gods appear to be against Bermuda today.

After five overs: 26-1. A good over from Hurdle, largely on the money, but Banga are going at 5.75 an over and only require 4.29 to win. Bermuda need wickets, and fast!

After four overs: 23-1. Six off Mukky's second over. Bowled well, but Banga are milking the singles and picked up one boundary in that over. Very difficult for Bermuda from here.

After three overs: 17 for one Hurdle's third ball was clocked at 84mph! At last, some aggression from the big man, who was bowling at measly 73mph in the last game. But his no ball problems continue - two in that over, plus he was smacked over mid-wicket by Shahriar Nafees for a big six. Banga on their way.

After two overs: 8-0 Mukuddem takes a wicket with his very first ball as Tamim Iqbal Khan slices a big drive to third man and Kevin Hurdle holds on to a sensational diving catch. Mukky getting some sharp movement away from the left-handed Aftab Ahmed. Couple of marginal wides, but a great first over from the South African, who obviously has a point to prove...

After one over: 6-0

Kevin Hurdle opens the bowling from the pavilion end and sends down four wides and one no ball. Had a good shout for lbw turned down in between. It's all going on.

Early wickets a must here. Mukuddem takes the ball from the other end.

Bermuda scored 94 for nine from their 21 overs

Minors was caught at mid-on for 23 off Razzak, Bermuda's top-score, while Hurdle, aiming for a big one, was bowled all over the place by the left-arm spin of Razzak.

Well, Bermuda have been absolutely stuffed out of sight here by the weather and the tournament rules. Bangladesh will be very grateful that they won the toss and put Bermuda in, because the side batting first in these conditions and under these rules are on an absolute hiding to nothing.

Bermuda began slowly and lost a few early wickets - so once the overs started to be lopped off by the constant interruptions, they really were up against it. Even if it pours with rain now for the rest of the day, Bangladesh can return tomorrow to complete the run-chase, which gives them - in this writer's opinion - a totally unfair advantage. With their Super 8 status on the line, they would be distraught if they were in Bermuda's position. But still, they have to chase a target and small ones such as Bermuda's can sometimes be a little tricky - particularly if you lose a couple of early wickets and the jitters set in. As a Test-class side, they should have the experience and the where-with-all to score at a little over four an over, however.

After 19 overs

Score: 78 for six

Tucker: 2

Minors:17

Run rate: 4.10

Cann bowled by left-armer Sakib al Hasan as Bermuda thrash desperately in the hope of getting up to a score resembling respectability. Very, very tough ask.

After 18 overs

17 off the over from Cann! Lionel does it again with some big hitting, including one huge six over mid-wicket and two fours off the bowling Aftab Ahmed.

Score: 71 for five

Pitcher goes for 22!

Score: 52 for five

Having to up the ante, Pitcher skies one and is well caught for 22. Brings Cann to the wicket, hopefully some fireworks...

Bermuda have only 5.5 overs to bat

Score: 45 for four

The covers are finally off and unbelievably the game is getting under way. The rules of the tournament seem a bit questionable to me, nobody really seems to know what's going on. If play starts as it is scheduled to in a minute, Bermuda will have 21 overs to bat. Bangladesh will then begin their reply and if rain stops play again and no more play is possible, Bangladesh can return tomorrow TO COMPLETE THEIR INNINGS. Seems very, very unfair. Bermuda have batted all day in atrocious conditions, with constant interruptions and a steadily reducing number of overs to bat. But if it starts to rain again, Bangladesh have the option of strolling out tomorrow morning (potentially in glorious sunshine!!) to knock off the runs. Surely this is ludicrous? Not sure if I'm missing something but if Bangladesh were in a similar position, they would be up in arms with their chances of advancing to the Super 8s under threat.

But anyway, here come the players...

Still raining, but here's the scenario...

The ICC have just cleared up the exact rules for the media regarding the current match situation. If Bermuda bat for 20 overs (they've now had 15.1 and have only 45 runs on the board), then whether it is later this evening or tomorrow morning, Bangladesh will have 20 overs to chase down the score. Previously I assumed that both teams had to bat 20 overs in order to constitute a game, but apparently that's not the case.

If it pans out like that then it is well and truly game over for Bermuda, who have been placed in an impossible situation by the weather after losing the toss and being inserted. It really would be a big shame if our World Cup was to end like this, but rules are rules.

At the moment though, it looks a little brighter out there, but the covers remain on and there's no sign of the groundstaff or the umpires. The tedium continues...

After 15.1 overs, rain suspends play

Score: 45-4

Pitcher: 18

Minors: 6

Run rate: 3.00

This is just farcical. The showers have returned and the players have walked off - though the umpires have stayed in the middle. Very unfair to both teams to be playing in this, but probably more so Bermuda, who lost early wickets and are now under extreme pressure to set a competitive total in a short amount of time.

Score: 35-4

Pitcher: 14

Minors: 0

Run rate: 3.18

ROMAINE OUT!

Having smashed the left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak for two fours in the 11th over, the skipper is then trapped lbw for the third time at this World Cup, this time hopelessly trapped on the crease as his feet went nowhere. Minors, who is probably playing his last game for Bermuda, strolls to the wicket at number six with his side in desperate trouble once again.

3:05 p.m. Bermuda time and the players are back out. But with plenty of clouds around, how long they'll be out there is impossible to tell.

Two balls bowled, and off they go again

Score: 19-3

Pitcher: 8

Romaine: 3

For the third time, the players are back in the pavilion, this time after only two balls from Rasel. The showery weather is turning this game into an absolute farce. Bermuda are on a hiding to nothing attempting to set a score under these circumstances. As I write the covers are coming off again though... things are happening so quickly.

Play to resume at 3 p.m. Bermuda time

Game has been reduced to a 30-over game, but the drizzle is still around.

RAIN CONTINUES TO FALL

An hour has gone by and there's been no let up in the rain unfortunately. It looks a lot brighter outside, but the rain drops keep coming thick and fast. The forecast is a little dodgy as well, cloud with rain, so if this game will be able to get underway today is a little doubtful. David Lloyd, the former England batsman and coach, just said on the TV commentary that the outfield looks to be taking the drenching well. And he's right to a degree, though if this rain carries on for too much longer then it's going to be hard to get the ground playable in less than two hours once the downpours stop.

The prospect of a reduced-overs game is a possibility at this stage. That would certainly be entertaining to watch and might actually increase Bermuda's chances of victory. When you start getting into the realms of 30 over games or less, anything can happen and it can be a bit of lottery. Saying that, with the pitch likely to be sweating profusely under the blue plastic sheet-covers, if play does begin Banga's seam bowlers should be able to generate some appreciable movement. And given Bermuda's recent record against quality new-ball attacks, we might well end up in 20 for five territory once again. Pessimistic I know, but can you really blame me?

Teams are named

Bermuda: I.Romaine, D.Minors, J.Tucker, D.Hemp, S.Outerbridge, D.Leverock, OJ Pitcher, D.Borden, L.Cann, S.Mukuddem, K.Hurdle

Well, the selectors have sprung yet more surprises by returning to the team that played Sri Lanka - other than the fact that Clay Smith has not regained his place and Stephen Outerbridge will continue to open the battting, presumably with OJ Pitcher. So much for all Logie's talk about giving every member of the squad a game! Kwame Tucker and Stefan Kelly will therefore not get to make their World Cup debuts, while Saleem Mukuddem returns in place of Malachi Jones after being dropped for the India game because of missing an official team function.

The selectors have kept faith with Kevin Hurdle once again and have refused the opportunity to give a young seamer in Kelly a chance to sample the World Cup atmosphere. Seems a bizarre one that to me. Hurdle is 30-years-old and hasn't exactly set the world alight recently (despite an economical spell against India) while Kelly and young Malachi Jones are generally regarded as the future of Bermuda's seam attack. Surely Kelly deserved a chance today, particularly as Bermuda's chances of advancing to the Super 8s are all-but gone. Malachi should be playing today as well. The kid's got huge potential and to have him sitting on the sidelines while others far older and far less talented than him take the field seems an absolute travesty to me... but there you go.

Anyway, the make-up of the side matters little at the moment because it is absolutely teeming down here in Trinidad. The hills and mountains which surround the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain have all disappeared under heavy cloud cover and from where I sit, the clouds don't look to be going anywhere fast. Given that this is the last group game, the umpires will be keen to get the match over with today - saving us all the hassle of having to return to finish the game tomorrow morning - while the outfield has recently been re-laid and does apparently drain extremely well. So once the rain stops we should be able to get underway relatively quickly...

Time for a coffee, will update you when the rain stops...

Good morning and welcome to the Gazette's live coverage of Bermuda's final World Cup group game against Bangladesh. The toss was won by Bangladesh, who have decided to bowl on a pitch with a healthy covering of green grass and with some murky overhead conditions. Right now, however, the covers are on and a light drizzle is falling in Trinidad which could potentially delay the start of play.

We are still awaiting the team-sheets to arrive in the press box but will update you as soon as we get them.

Bangladesh need to win this game to advance to the Super 8s, while a Bermuda win will make them the heroes not just of the Island's 65,000 people, but also of the one billion Indians who will be glued to their television screens throughout the day praying for a miracle.

A Bermuda win would mean both Bangladesh, India and Bermuda would finish level on points with only one win each in the group stages, with lacklustre India progressing because of a far superior net run rate (thanks largely to their thumping 257-run over Bermuda earlier this week - a World Cup record)

Stay tuned...