Members of the Bermuda cricket squad have been left in a state of perplexity by the meanderings of national coach Roland Butcher.

Butcher's most recent move to return to England for two weeks at a time when the squad was just beginning to form a bond with the new coach has raised further questions.

And a story in yesterday's Royal Gazette asserting how the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control were mulling over the option of releasing the coach from his contract only added fuel to the fire.

Captain Charlie Marshall yesterday vowed to get to the root of the situation, noting the great concern being expressed by team-mates.

"I don't know what's going on ... I'm here reading the newspaper this morning and I don't know what the deal is,'' said Marshall, preparing for likely his final ICC Trophy competition. "It is a concern, of course. As captain I'm very concerned about what's going on right now, I need to talk to the president and (staff coach) Winston Reid to find out just what's going on.

"This is affecting our programme right now. There's too much negative information and I speak on behalf of all the players in that everybody's concerned about what's going on.'' Marshall noted how he had been bombarded with calls from several members of the current training squad, asking of the situation regarding Butcher.

"We're reading newspapers, guys are calling me at home wanting to know what's going on and I have no answers. I need to find out what's going on,'' said Marshall. "Something's going on that we are not being told about.'' Reid, when contacted refused to comment on the issue of the head coach, saying only that he would continue to soldier on in his capacity of a staff coach along with Clevie Wade.

Reid, Wade and trainer Nick Jones have been the lone constants aside from the squad itself since the group began training last December.

"I'm not getting into that and have no comment,'' was Reid's brief reply.

"All I can do is to carry on as I have been until he comes back.'' Meanwhile, BCBC president El James said that Butcher remained the team's head coach, adding that it was not proper protocol for him to release information pertaining to his continued employment or disassociation via the media.

However, it is clear that Butcher's status in the position has become extremely tenuous.

"Butcher is still the coach,'' said James.

Still, there was an allusion to the possibility of a reprimand.

"That's something the Board will have to decide, but we certainly aren't going to inform Butcher or anyone else of our feeling about anything through the press.

"All I would say is that his going back is not what we wanted, we would prefer if he was here, but other than that there is not much more I can say.

Our wishes would have been that he would have come and stayed. But, obviously, there was a reason for him to go.'' The reasons why Butcher left are not certain, with one source noting how the coach relayed to the team his need to complete a course of some sort, while another indicated his departure was to give evidence at a court case.

Season preview, part one -- Page 31 Captain Confused: Charlie Marshall and his players want to know the status of their coach.