Half-way through a two-year period of probation for his infamous behaviour during Cup Match 2005, St. George?s stalwart Herbie Bascome has been appointed assistant coach for the national team?s current tour of Canada.

Bermuda Cricket Board released two squads for both the Intercontinental Cup and the Americas Championship earlier this week, although unusually no mention was made at the time of Bascome?s appointment.

BCB chief executive Neil Speight revealed last night that Bascome had been chosen by Gus Logie to join the squad in Canada in order to give a ?highly-regarded? local coach exposure to senior international cricket.

And other coaches would get similar opportunities in the future, Speight added, ?as we continue to try and develop our coaching, both in terms of numbers and experience.?

?This is not a full-time appointment or anything like that,? he added.

?This is the first time, however, that a local coach has been included as part of the national squad?s coaching staff since Gus has been in charge of the team and we believe it will serve as a very useful experience for Herbie.

?He is an English Cricket Board Level Two qualified coach and the reports we got back from the ECB on Herbie after he did the course were glowing. They even recommended he move on to Level Three, which not many people are asked to do.

?I should stress, however, that we fully intend to give other coaches an opportunity to work with Gus as well and people like Andre Manders and Grant Smith will most likely go in the future.?

Bascome?s elevation to the senior level will come as a surprise to many, not least because it is well known that he has yet to fully resolve his differences with squad member Saleem Mukuddem, who labelled the abuse he took from Bascome at Cup Match 2005 as the worst he had ?ever experienced on a cricket field?.

Bascome was accused by the South African of repeated xenophobic sledging when batting in the second innings at Wellington Oval ? with the usually level-headed Mukuddem having to be held back during an angry exchange of words with the veteran as the situation spiralled out of control.

In the fall-out, the then St. George?s captain was sacked as head coach of the Under-19 national squad, while it was originally thought he had also been banned from coaching any national team until January, 2007.

The BCB then moved to clarify the situation, stating that Bascome would still be allowed to play a role with the Under 19s ? as Andre Manders? assistant.

Bascome, meanwhile, has always protested his innocence in the spat, insisting he did not say anything to Mukuddem throughout the game while claiming he was being singled out for blame because of his dreadlocks.

Bascome?s case was not helped, however, by the comments of another foreign player involved in Cup Match that year, Bajan left-handed opener Wendell White, who also claimed to have been verbally abused by the skipper.

Since then, Bascome has continued to play a full part in coaching the Under-19s, travelling to Barbados with them last month for the Sir Garfield Sobers Youth Tournament.