Bermuda?s senior national cricket programme is getting in gear again ? and well ahead of time.

After a disappointing year which saw national training suspended after two trips were cancelled, the Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) has summoned 34 players to a meeting next week to outline plans for the sport?s off-season period during winter.

This comes amid revelations that the Island will host a vital International Cricket Council (ICC)World Cup qualifying tournament next July.

This year, a World Cup qualifier ? scheduled for Los Angeles in September ? was shelved by the ICC and later the BCB announced that plans for a tour to Trinidad & Tobago had also been called off.

Along with new skipper Clay Smith, those invited to the meeting at Devonshire Recreation Club at 6 p.m. on Thursday are: Stephen Outerbridge, Glenn Blakeney, Jermaine Warner, Chris Foggo, Ricky Brangman, Jermaine Postlethwaite, Sam Stevens, Dion Stovell, Oliver Pitcher Jr, Delyone Borden, Janeiro Tucker, Charlie Marshall, Reggie Tucker Jr, Saleem Mukuddem, Wendell White, Dennis Archer, Jermaine Outerbridge, Dennis Pilgrim, Lionel Cann, Jekon Edness, Kwame Tucker, Rodney Trott, Dwayne Leverock, Justin Robinson, Hasan Durham, Kameron Fox, Gregg Foggo, Kevin Hurdle, Mackie Crane, Jacobi Robinson, Corey Hill, Clarkie Trott and Gary Williams.

lNot a ball has been bowled yet and already there is suspense over the West Indies cricket tour to Africa.

Fans of the regional team are in the dark as to whether they will see any live Test or One-Day action from Zimbabwe and South Africa on television.

It?s just four days before the opening Test in Zimbabwe and agreement is yet to be reached between the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) and SportsMax which has the television and radio broadcast rights to the African series.

?Right now the deal for the Caribbean is not done. CMC remains in talks with SportsMax. They have sent off an offer that represents the collective Caribbean broadcast region?s desire to have the cricket and that includes Bermuda.

?So far there has been no conclusion since that response was made to SportsMax and, for our part here, we continue in a wait-and-see mode, awaiting word from the CMC folks,? said Bermuda Broadcasting Company?s Programme Manager Darlene Ming.