Bermuda have the natural ability to attain success on cricket's international stage, but they are sorely lacking in basic principles and mental fortitude, according to top batsman Philo Wallace.

Speaking following Marylebone Cricket Club's 10-run victory over the Bermuda national team on Sunday, which completed a 4-0 series whitewash, the former West Indies Test and one-day international batsman agreed that Bermuda could do well at the upcoming ICC Trophy, but only if they were willing to put in the work.

"I think they have to go back to the drawing board and find out where their strengths and weaknesses are, because if they cannot identify these aspects they are going to struggle,'' said the burly Wallace, who appeared in seven Tests and 33 one-day internationals.

"They have the talent, but the guys still have to realise what they need to do out there in the middle.

"First of all, in their fielding, they need to stop batters from scoring. You set fields and don't have a third man, so basic field-placing mistakes are being made and obviously they need to look at that, because at ICC, fielding is going to be a big part.

"When they're batting, they don't look for partnerships and don't build partnerships. If they cannot hit boundaries they bog down, then you know the pressure's going to build up and they'll lag one short and get out.

"So I think they need to look hard at their cricket, take a look deep within themselves, evaluate themselves and the team, and hopefully go forward.

"Once they play well they can qualify for the World Cup in 2003 in South Africa. I don't see it (qualifying) as a problem, but they need to go back and work hard, they have a couple of weeks and they need to go back and do the work.'' Wallace noted how mentally, Bermuda had a tendency to openly display ebullience when on top, but said this confident veneer vanished once they were in trouble.

Such was true whenever MCC embarked on lengthy batting partnerships or when the home side lost a few quick wickets.

It was at these times, Wallace contended, that someone needed to step forward and take matters into their own hands, rather than throwing in the towel.

"Mentally I think they are lacking,'' said Wallace. "When we played you got a little heckling and stuff like that, which is good. But once you get on top of them it stops, they stop applying pressure, everybody drops their heads and nobody seems to want to step up and be the man to do something special.

"I think if you're a team and you're not on top, you still have to act like a team and look to do something special to lift the team and you don't see that in the Bermudian side. You have to look for one guy who can lift the team, do something special and get the spirit going.

"To me, there might be a little conflict in the team, but I think that all in all there's a good atmosphere, but the leader has to come forward a bit more and be recognised as the leader.'' Agreeing, for the most part, with the assessment was MCC skipper Colin Metson, a former first class performer with Middlesex and Glamorgan.

Metson expressed surprise that he and his team had not been `used' more by the Bermudians for their extensive knowledge of the game at first class and international level.

"I'm a bit disappointed that none of them have come to speak to us, because we're all professional cricketers or retired professionals, some talented cricketers who have played a lot of cricket around the world and have a lot of knowledge.

"We didn't come here expecting to win all the games, but we knew we'd perform well, and I'm a little disappointed that none of the Bermudians have come up to us and tried to gain some knowledge. Whether they think they know all they need to know, there's a lot of knowledge that they missed out on, which could have helped them going to the ICC,'' said Metson.

"There's some talent there, people who hit the ball well, and some bowlers that can tie batsmen down, bowl a good line. It's all trying to get it to fit in together, you've got to play as a team and try to access different situations.

"During the games, all six, there were times when Bermuda could have won if they'd done something slightly different. We've chopped and changed and moved things, we've stuck together as a team and that's what's ensured we've come through.

"The MCC came over to help Bermuda prepare for the ICC, we hope it's been good cricket for them, that they've learned from us. I hope they do well, because it's a big tournament with some good sides. I hope they go over there and enjoy it, that's the main thing, to enjoy their cricket and keep learning.'' One specific area both Wallace and Metson highlighted as being a possible detriment to the team was the tendency to play to the crowd, specifically when batting, in looking for boundaries rather than ones and twos.

Often during the series Bermuda's bats were undone by their propensity to go over the top, and with MCC immaculate in their field placement and out cricket ability, mistakes often proved fatal.

"Now, they love hitting sixes, the crowd loves them hitting sixes and seeing the ball going over the ropes, but cricket's not all about hitting sixes,'' said Metson. "You've got to use your head, push ones and twos and keep wickets in hand.

"If they're chasing a target it's trying to work out how to go about chasing the target. There's ways of doing it.

"In the field you've always got to be thinking, always got to be working out how to get particular batsmen out. Batsmen play differently, so if you're in the field you've got to work them out differently, you don't set the same fields for all the batsmen.

"When you're batting, players have to take the responsibility to bat in partnerships and it's very important that if you lose a wicket that the next two steady the ship and bat for a little while, get themselves in and then the runs will come.'' Philo Wallace: Critical of Bermuda's fielding and batting tactics.