A strong Bermuda Cricket Board Select will take on Lloyd?s Cricket Club at the National Sports Centre today in a rare 50-over day-night affair (3 p.m. start).

After the narrow defeat of the Bermuda Development XI on Saturday at the hands of the tourists, national coach Mark Harper has picked a team which is arguably the strongest eleven at his disposal, as he seeks to knit a side together for the challenge of the Americas Cup early next month.

?I feel this is a good, strong side which will be very competitive against Lloyd?s and in the tournament,? he said.

?I am still currently undecided over a couple of spots in the final squad of 14 for the Americas Cup but the performances over the next two games against Lloyd?s should help to clear this up.?

With the inclusion of three genuine allrounders in the side ? St.David?s? Delyone Borden and Western Stars? Saleem Mukuddem and Dennis Archer ? skipper Clay Smith certainly has a wide variety of options to call upon in the field, while the batting order has a reassuringly deep look to it.

Harper also was quick to justify his inclusion of Dwayne Leverock, despite the left-arm spinner?s lack of match practice in the aftermath of his bungled off-season transfer from Western Stars to Southampton Rangers.

?Obviously it is a concern when one of your top players is not playing regularly,? he said.

?But he is a tremendous competitor and has been training very hard with the national squad, so I have no worries about including him.?

The Guyanese coach also expressed his ?relief? that the national squad had been provided with warm-up matches in the run up to a crucial summer of international cricket.

?Ideally I would have liked to have had five or six games beforehand,? he said.

?But I am extremely grateful that we have a very capable Lloyd?s team here which should give us the challenge we so desperately need.?

C.Smith (captain), G.Blakeney, D.Borden, D.Gibbs, D.Archer, S.Mukuddem, M.Crane, J.Anderson, D.Leverock, C.Marshall, OJ Pitcher.