Log In

Reset Password
BERMUDA | RSS PODCAST

Axe falls on veteran Marshall

Veteran cricketer Charlie Marshall's name is among the missing as Bermuda begin to assemble a squad for the Americas Senior Regional Tournament in Argentina next March.

It's understood that the talented 40-year-old player handed in his resignation as skipper after Bermuda's lacklustre performance at the ICC Trophy competition in Toronto this past summer when they failed to get past a first round play-off against Namibia and never challenged for a place the 2003 World Cup to be held in South Africa.

After the team returned from Toronto in August, Marshall reportedly quit as skipper at the same time he submitted his report on the tournament. But reasons for his decision are unknown.

When contacted this week, Marshall referred all questions about the matter to Bermuda Cricket Board of Control president El James.

However, James similarly declined comment, saying only that the Board were preoccupied with assembling the squad in order to arrange training programmes for the trip to Argentina next year.

Sources have indicated that Marshall only quit the captaincy and was apparently still willing to continue to serve the country as a player. But the Board opted to omit him along with some other senior players who were involved with the ICC squad _ preferring to bring in younger players.

The strategy has been been put in place by a new selection committee the Board assembled with national cricket coach Mark Harper having a great deal of input after being present in Toronto with the ICC team when he was able evaluate all of the players.

The new-look squad will consist of 30 players who will be meeting with the Board next Friday to confirm whether they will be available and to learn more of the training programmes.

While privately confirming that Marshall was not chosen, a Board official did say that he had resigned as skipper, but the understanding was that he was still available as a player if selected.

"I really don't know the reason why any particular player has been left out, but Charlie stepped down as skipper and whether he wanted to be considered as a player or not is something that only he or the committee knows," said the source.

"One thing for certain is that nobody is even thinking about a captain at this stage, it's so early that naming one isn't important. In due time one will have to be chosen from the list of players who have made themselves available for selection."

Meanwhile, the Board are now confronted with the problem of trying to find suitable training facilities for both outdoor and indoor training and do date there has reportedly been no satisfactory solution.