Last year outgoing Bermuda coach Mark Harper likened the Island?s first-time involvement in the ICC Intercontinental Cup to a learning experience.

But with confidence in the local camp soaring to an all-time high following last month?s successful ICC Trophy campaign in Ireland, it?s a sure bet Bermuda will be looking to gain more than exposure this time around and advance to October?s semi-finals in Namibia instead.

Starting today, Bermuda?s 2007 World Cup-bound national team take on hosts Canada at Toronto Cricket Club in the first of two three-day matches. The other cup game is against Cayman Islands, starting on Saturday.

Canada inflicted a five-wicket defeat on Bermuda last month in Ireland, while last year?s Intercontinental Cup match between the regional rivals fizzled out to a tame draw at Sunnybrook Park outside Toronto.

?I think we have a well-rounded team and if the guys can apply themselves on the day then there?s no reason why they shouldn?t be successful in Toronto,? stated an optimistic Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) president, Reggie Pearman.

?Not taking anything away from Canada but with Davison (Canada skipper John Davison) and the rest of their players who are out, hopefully this will bode well for us. But we still must put our heads down and play because we are also playing against an unknown Cayman Islands side.?

Indeed, both sides have undergone considerable changes since their cup encounter last year.

Bermuda are without the services of OJ Pitcher, Delyone Borden, Dennis Archer, Jekon Edness and Reggie Tucker and Canada minus inspirational skipper Davison, Ian Billcliff, Sanjah Thuraisingam, Ashish Bagai, Ashish Patel and Austin Codrington.

Coming into the local squad are spinners Hasan Durham and Rodney Trott, wicketkeeper Dean Minors, all-rounder Janeiro Tucker, Chris Foggo, Daniel Morgan and Graham Strange.

Apart from new additions Morgan and Strange, every other member of the team has already sampled cricket north of the border.

On paper Bermuda?s squad, again led by skipper Clay Smith, possesses batting depth and is armed to the teeth with three specialists spinners in Durham, Trott and the ever-reliable Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock while Jacobi Robinson, Kevin Hurdle, Saleem Mukuddem and Ryan Steede are each more than capable of moving the ball off the seam on what is anticipated to be an even batting strip at Toronto Cricket Club.

Team vice-captain and top all-rounder Tucker, skipper Smith and Irving Romaine can also be utilised in Bermuda?s bowling attack should the need arise.

Coach Harper?s contract with the Board expired shortly after last year?s drawn Intercontinental Cup clash with Canada in Toronto, paving the way for former West Indies vice-captain and coach Gus Logie to come onboard.

In only a short period of time, Logie has instilled team harmony and a sense of self belief at the national level, the likes of which have not been seen in some time, and also booked Bermuda?s ticket to the 2007 cricket spectacle in the West Indies.

Now Bermuda?s warriors have Namibia on their minds ? the next Intercontinental Cup destination should they win both matches in the next week.

?Last year I thought we did fairly well and hopefully we can improve on those performances. We?ve made some changes in our team as such. But this is all a part of progress and I think the coaching staff under Gus and the selectors are confident with the team we have and remain confident they can pull it off in Toronto,? Pearman added.

?I think we would have learned valuable experience from last year and Gus has been working hard with the team on the tactical aspects and how to to approach the longer version of the game. But again we will have to adapt to the different format of playing the longer version of the game.

?Basically, I think with the experience we have in our team in Clay (Smith) and a few of the other players who have stuck with us over the past year . . . with the youngsters that Gus is moulding, I?m confident we can pull it off. And it would be nice to pull it off.?

In only its second year of existence, the Intercontinental Cup is a tournament that gives the top ICC associate member countries from each region exposure to the longer version of the game.

Newly crowned ICC Trophy champions Scotland were last year?s inaugural winners. However, any hopes the Scots might have had of defending their crown were dashed last week courtesy of a three-run loss against ICC Trophy host nation Ireland in Aberdeen.

The tournament introduces innovative playing conditions to international cricket in which teams will receive 14 points for a win plus bonus points accumulated while drawing or losing.

Bonus points can be accumulated in either innings with a maximum of six batting points per innings awarded on the basis of 0.5 points for every 25 runs scored up to 300 runs. A maximum of five bowling points are available per innings allocated at 0.5 points per wicket taken.

To encourage teams to play for a result, the first innings of each side will be restricted to 90 overs unless the team batting first does not utilise its 90 overs in which case the team batting second can bat for its 90 overs plus the overs short of 90 not utilised by the team batting first. A minimum of 105 overs must be bowled on the opening two days of the match. : C.Smith (capt), J.Tucker, I.Romaine, S.Mukuddem, D.Leverock, K.Hurdle, D.Minors, R.Steede, D.Morgan, J.Robinson, C.Foggo, G.Strange, H.Durham, R.Trott, G.Logie (coach), E.James (manager).: P.Dassananayake (capt), A.Qasir, D.Chumney, Z.Zurkari, D.Maxwell, H.Dhillon, S.Dhaniram, G.Codrington, U.Bhatti, K.Sandher, E.Sinathamby, C.Karunaratne.: Canada v Bermuda, today to Thursday; Bermuda v Cayman Islands, August 27 to 29. Both matches to be held at Toronto Cricket Club.