Lloyd Smith, president of the Bermuda Cricket Board, is backing the national team to put together some good performances at the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier in Dubai starting on October 18.

Smith compares the team, captained by Dion Stovell and containing professional player Delray Rawlins of Sussex, with the team that competed in the World Cup in the West Indies in 2007.

“I would like to wish the national cricket team well,” Smith said ahead of the team’s departure today. “With positive attitudes and belief in themselves, I know that they’re more than capable of qualifying for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

“I believe that this is the best team to have represented Bermuda since the 2007 World Cup.

“Let’s show the team the same support that was given to the 2007 team and they will make us proud like they did in August [in Americas qualifiers].”

Five officials left Bermuda last night with 13 more departing today and joined in London by two players, Okera Bascome and Kamau Leverock, before the team travels on to Dubai.

Delray Rawlins, whose long season with Sussex has just finished, is taking a short break and will join up with the team on October 15.

The team will arrive in Dubai tomorrow and train extensively at the ICC academy, while also playing a couple of warm-up matches against two teams in group B, Hong Kong and Nigeria, leading up to their first qualifying match against Papua New Guinea on October 19.

Further matches for Bermuda will then follow against Singapore on October 20, Kenya on October 21 and Namibia on October 23.

Matches five and six will be against Scotland and the Netherlands, the top two teams in the group, at Dubai International Stadium and televised live.

If Bermuda are successful in advancing to the next round, the play-offs, matches for them will begin on October 29.