The USA?s expulsion from this month?s ICC Intercontinental Cup Tournament in Toronto could work in Bermuda?s favour.

Having achieved their 2007 World Cup qualifying objective in Ireland last month, Clay Smith?s national team now switch their attention to qualifying for October?s Intercontinental Cup semi-finals in Namibia.

And controversy over team selection and the recent sackings of skipper Richard Staples and former West Indies Test player Clayton Lambert have resulted in the International Cricket Council (ICC) booting the Americans out of the three-day tournament in Canada ? thus enhancing Bermuda?s own chances of advancing to the final four of the tournament now in its second year.

Bermuda were originally scheduled to take on USA from August 27 to 29 but will instead meet Cayman Islands on the same dates, most probably at the Toronto Cricket and Skating Club.

Bermuda defeated Cayman Islands by five wickets during the 2004 Americas Regional Championships held on local soil to qualify for last month?s ICC Trophy.

And while the Island squad has undergone a few changes from the one that recently competed in the UK, national coach Gus Logie declared: ?We are not going to change our mindset from what we believed in in the past because we are good enough to compete at this level. We don?t enter competitions believing we are going to be second best. We do so to win.?

As far as the Americans? expulsion from the tournament is concerned, the former West Indies vice-captain and coach stated: ?We have no control over what happens with the USA and at the end of the day we want to focus solely on ourselves. But we do prefer playing against the better teams in the region.

?I still believe in testing ourselves against the better teams because we are now World Cup-bound and we cannot afford to be shielded at this point in time by anyone. We want to play against the best teams because that?s the only way we will improve.

?And that?s something we are aiming for . . . improving all the time and we can only do so by playing against better opposition than ourselves.?

The Americans defeated Bermuda by five wickets during last summer?s Americas Championships. However, the local team avenged that loss at last month?s ICC Trophy courtesy of an historical 113-run triumph that booked the Island?s passage to the 2007 cricket spectacle in the Caribbean.

While the availability of Delyone Borden remains questionable, Logie confirmed yesterday the likes of Albert Steede (retired), Dennis Archer (overlooked for selection), OJ Pitcher (school commitments) and Lionel Cann (undisclosed personal reasons) would not travel with the squad to Toronto in two weeks? time.

These omissions, Logie implied, could open the door for younger ?blood? to come into the team ? some of whom are currently representing Bermuda?s Under-19 squad in Toronto in the Americas Championship (see story this page).

?This is a good opportunity for us to blood a few young players and what better way to do so than in a winning team,? he added. ?We had a meeting with all players on the senior and Under-19 teams and they are all aware of the standards and work commitment which we expect of them. We have already indicated to them they will be a part of our set-up over the coming months as we feel this is the way forward. I think talent is abound in Bermuda.?

Another ICC Trophy hero, Irving Romaine, has been training among a squad of 19 players currently preparing for Bermuda?s Intercontinental Cup commitment. Romaine has been sidelined since fracturing a finger on his right hand playing against Denmark during last month?s ICC Trophy campaign.

?Irving has been training and from what I understand he is healing quite well,? added Logie. ?Batting-wise we still have to see how it goes but from what I understand things seem to be okay. His finger was given two to three weeks to heal and that time is about up. So basically I feel that he is okay.?

Bermuda take on hosts Canada ? the country Logie coached to the 2003 World Cup Finals in South Africa ? in their opening Intercontinental Cup match from August 23 to 25. Canada defeated Bermuda by five wickets to place third at the ICC Trophy last month.

?Both countries have already qualified for the World Cup and so this gives us another opportunity to test ourselves against them and hopefully this time Bermuda will come out on top,? Logie smiled. ?But overall I think people appreciate what I did for Canada and understand what professionalism is all about. So I am looking forward to going back to Canada to see some old friends again.?

Declining to talk at length over team tactics, a guarded Logie, stated: ? Put it this way . . . we are going over there with a balanced attack.?

During last year?s inaugural Intercontinental Cup Tournament, USA defeated Bermuda by 114 runs at the National Sports Centre with skipper Clay Smith blasting half-centuries (62 and 65) in both innings while leg-spinner Dwayne (Sluggo) Leverock seized overall match figures of nine for 150.

In Toronto, an unbroken tenth-wicket stand between Jekon Edness and Kevin Hurdle earned Bermuda a draw against Canada ? who clinched the Americas group and reached the final ? at Sunnybrook Park. Skipper Smith again led from the front by scoring 63 while Romaine smashed an aggressive 40. Bermuda debutant Ryan Steede and Leverock took four wickets apiece while allrounder Saleem Mukuddem grabbed three.

Scotland, recent winners of the ICC Trophy in Ireland, won last year?s inaugural Intercontinental Cup final after handing Canada an innings defeat in Sharjah.