Malachi Jones will not play any games for Bermuda this year, putting his long-term future as a member of the national team in doubt.

The all-rounder has decided that it is more important for him to concentrate on earning enough money to pay for his further education in September.

And Jones has denied that his decision to remove himself from national team duty has anything to do with two separate run-ins with team management and national coach Gus Logie during this year's Under 19 World Cup in Malaysia.

The teenaged all-rounder – believed to be the first senior World Cup debutant to take a wicket with his first delivery – dropped the bombshell yesterday when he announced his decision not to take any part in what is shaping up to be another busy year of international cricket for the senior national team.

This year will see Bermuda bid to qualify for the Twenty20 World Cup, compete in the Intercontinental Cup, defend their Americas Division One title and take on Chris Gayle's West Indies in one of several One-Day Internationals (ODI).

But not even the prospect of facing off against the likes of star batsmen Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul has persuaded young Jones to reconsider his decision, a decision he insists is based solely on a commitment to raise extra cash to finance furthering his education in the US - and not any fallout from Malaysia.

During this year's Under 19 World Cup the immensly talented Southampton Rangers cricketer's temperament landed him in hot water with team management who threatened to send Jones home early before he was eventually stripped of the vice-captaincy of Bermuda's Under 19 squad.

Jones had originally been invited to train with the senior national squad after returning from the Under 19 World Cup and had been listed among those showing apathy towards the national programme up until yesterday's revelation.

"I'm not training right now because I am busy working towards school commitments in the US next September. I plan to enroll in a technical school and so I will not be able to make it to training sessions because I'm working two jobs trying to save up for school," he explained.

Jones' announcement comes fresh on the heels of Bermuda Cricket Board's (BCB) newly unveiled High Performance Development Programme which has seen the player's Under 19 team-mates Rodney Trott and Tamauri Tucker contracted by the Board on a temporary basis.

Trott and Tucker are the first two players to take part in the pilot programme that has received rave reviews from Government and ICC High Performance Manager Richard Done.

Jones' unavailibility has now deprived Bermuda of a viable attacking option with the new ball. And the Works and Engineer employee says he has "no regrets" as education must take priority.

"It was just a decision I had to make and I have no regrets," he added.

"The course I'm taking is only for one year, which really isn't too much."

Jones staked his claim to World Cup immortality when he snared the prized wicket of India's opening batsman Robin Uthappa to ignite wild celebrations among his team-mates at Queen's Park Oval.