Bermuda skipper Clay Smith is being wrapped in cotton wool to ensure his knee is ready for the rigours of the ICC Trophy in July.

It was confirmed yesterday that the team's inspirational leader will miss both domestic games and pre-tournament tour games to avoid further damaging the injured joint ahead of the summer tournament.

At a press conference held yesterday to announce the 14-man squad for the World Cup qualifying tournament in Ireland, the status of Smith's knee was once again under the microscope.

“Clay Smith's knee is the most popular piece of anatomy on the Island,” said Bermuda Cricket Board chief executive Neil Speight.

“We are looking to limit wear and tear on Clay's knee. It is no worse than it was a year ago and we are confident that it is in good shape and he will be able to play all the games in the tournament.”

Speight confirmed that Smith, who missed St. David's' victory over St. George's on Sunday, would play only a “reduced programme” in the domestic leagues and would only play “some of the games” in the pre-tournament tour of the UK.

When asked if there were concerns about Smith's match fitness for the 12-team tournament in just six weeks time, coach Gus Logie replied: “Quite the contrary.

“He has been fully involved in all the training sessions and working in the nets. All the players are doing one-on-one work and Clay is no exception.

“There is a difference between fitness and injury. Clay is still doing all the spinning classes and his level of fitness is high but he has an injury.

“There is a very high level of fitness in the team and we are not concerned about Smith's at all.”

Smith sat out the derby victory on Sunday for St. David's and told The Royal Gazette he would also miss this week's game, stating: “I could play if I want to but I think it makes sense to sit out this week and probably next week as well. I am just going to rest it a bit as a precaution but I am not worried.”

At yesterday's press conference the panel, which included chairman of selectors Arnold Manders, were keen to play down the hype about Smith's knee, pointing out that Albert Steede, who is also in the squad, didn't play at the weekend because of a hamstring injury.

Smith was one of seven veterans from the last ICC Trophy in Canada to be named in this year's squad, with few surprise omissions.

Corey Hill, youngster Jacobi Robinson, Del Hollis, Reggie Tucker and Jermaine Postlethwaite were all left out, while in-form batsman Chris Foggo, Kwame Tucker, Hasan Durham and Wendell White were all named on the stand-by list. Richard Basden voluntarily withdrew from the squad because of a shoulder injury last month (see story this page).

“The selection was made based on player attendance, players' attitude, fitness and ability. We had some tough choices but we believe these 14 are the strongest team we can take to Ireland,” said Manders, former Bermuda captain himself.

“Jacobi (Robinson) was just not attending sessions, the last four or five I went to, he was not there. And in the case of Corey (Hill), we just favoured somebody else for that role.”

And Logie seemed confident that the right team had been selected to fight for the five places in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

“I'm quite happy with this team,” said Logie, who led Canada in a previous ICC Trophy. “It has been a long grind and all the players should be congratulated. We still have another six weeks of intense preparation to go but we will be ready.

“The team is made up of some experienced players and some younger ones, but it is the best combination to do well in Ireland.

“We are not just going to be a part of it, we are going with the hope of winning the tournament.

“Anything can happen in one-day cricket, our players have been training hard and there has been some definite improvement in technique and fitness over the past few weeks.

“We still need to get some more up-to-date information on the opposition. We know the names of the players we are up against but once we get to England we can get a better idea of who is in form.

“But we need to concentrate on ourselves and make sure we are mentally and physically prepared.”

When asked if he was concerned about the calibre of opponents such as Ed Joyce, the Irish opening batsman who seems destined for a place in England's Test side, he joked: “He is just one man. The West Indies have Brian Lara and they are not winning games.”

The new slimmed-down squad will train for the first time tomorrow.