There were three absentees during yesterday?s official send-off for Bermuda?s ICC Trophy squad at City Hall.

Albert Steede and Wendell White were unable to make the function because of work commitments, but their absence wasn?t nearly as noticeable as that of team stalwart and 2001 ICC Trophy skipper Charlie Marshall.

Marshall was expelled from the national squad for disciplinary reasons earlier this week and replaced by in-form batsman Chris Foggo. And it?s been a talking point among the cricket fraternity ever since.

Minus Marshall, the squad will depart on Sunday for the UK where they will make final preparations for next month?s tournament in Ireland.

Yesterday asked a number of those involved with the sport their opinion on the veteran?s eleventh-hour dismissal.

Local sports historian Warrington (Soup) Zuill said he thought Bermuda Cricket Board moved too swiftly to expel Marshall from the squad.

?It?s always personal conflicts between players and I think they need to get over them,? he said. ?Charlie has a hostile attitude and Clay is the same way. So what you have is two hot heads going against each other.?

Zuill said the Board should have used other means to resolve any dispute between the two players.

?I think the committee jumped too fast to their conclusion,? he added. ?They know Charlie is a good batsman and they could have sat down and talked with both of them and then that would have been it. But not to drop him out of the team because the expectation is high on this team to succeed.

?When you look at it, Charlie was the only experienced ICC Trophy player on the team. The chairman of the selection committee (Arnold Manders) could have taken those two players aside, talked matters over, shook hands and then got on with the game.

?Charlie was a godsend to that team but now there is disharmony because he isn?t there and there isn?t anyone there for the younger players to look up to. Now you are going to put the pressure on young Chris (Foggo) and I think all of this could have been avoided.?

Former Western Stars and Somerset Cup Match batsman and coach Jeff Richardson believes Marshall has received the short end of the stick.

?It was not a wise decision,? he said. ?First of all if there was a problem with Charlie?s discipline then why wasn?t he ever approached about it or spoken to prior to this mishap in training?

?If there was an issue why wasn?t it addressed prior to his selection to the team because it appears as though he has been reprimanded for a first offence. And if it wasn?t his first offence then he should not have been selected in the first place.?

As far as Foggo was concerned, Richardson added: ?Chris should have been in the team from the start. However, he is not going to replace Charlie?s contributions both on and off the field.?

Western Counties Cricket Association president Gary Dowling said he was saddened to see Marshall jettisoned.

?I am disappointed because Charlie adds a lot to the team,? he said. ?But discipline is always the key and that?s where I stand. I know Charlie and I also have a lot of respect for Clay.?

Willow Cuts opening bowler Charles (Bucky) Swan noted: ?Charlie has a lot of experience and I think if we are trying to get to the World Cup then all of our good players should be in the team.

?I honestly think all of this has something to do with trying to include Chris Foggo ? who should have been in the team from the get-go.

?Everybody knows that whenever it comes to international cricket, Charlie?s record speaks for itself.?

Sports Minister Dale Butler commented: ?I was very saddened to read about the decision and hope it will not dampen the team?s spirits.

?But I encourage the team to go to Ireland to win and to demonstrate good sportsmanship. Captain Clay Smith will need the support of Bermuda and his entire team and as a leader I have no doubt he will be able to get them to look positively towards the future.?

Former Bermuda and St.George?s Cup Match star bowler Clarence Parfitt said from his home in Scotland: ?It must have been something very serious for them to do what they did. If he did something to warrant that sort of punishment then they have to stick to it.

?The team and country must come first and if that is what the coach and selectors believe, then they have good reason for doing it. This will also be a good opportunity for Chris (Foggo) to shine.

?But I have to feel sorry for Charlie to miss this opportunity. And something really bad had to happen for them to make a decision like that with such an experienced player.?