BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, CMC – Bermuda’s new Indian head coach Niraj Odedra says he has been impressed by how his batters have attacked the opposition bowlers on their way to huge wins their opening two matches of the five-team 2024 ICC T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Qualifier here.
Bermuda crushed the Cayman Islands by 96 runs on Saturday and hosted Argentina by 110 on Sunday. New captain Delray Rawlins scored unbeaten half-centuries in both games and picked up five wickets, including a four-wicket haul against Argentina.
Bermuda’s other three batsmen in the top four – Kamau Leverock, Tre Manders, and Terryn Fray – also scored a half-century at the weekend. However, Leverock, the former captain, made only three on Sunday.
Odedra said: “Things have been going well.
“Batting is what we have been concentrating on. The focus will be on that only, and with Delray coming into the side, it will only get stronger. I was confident about it, immensely positive, and the boys have done well.
“They are expressing themselves better than they have been in the past.
“I have been telling the guys to let their instincts rule. If your instinct says the ball is there to hit, then go with your instinct. Fearless cricket is good, but you must also have a bit of responsibility.”
The 25-year-old Rawlins is Bermuda’s most prominent player, an experienced left-arm spinning all-rounder who plays professionally for English county Sussex.
He struck a blistering 25-ball unbeaten 67 in Bermuda’s 220 for two against Argentina to earn Player-of-the-Match honors and followed up by taking four for 11 with his left-arm spin.
“We aim to complete the job by winning this tournament,” Rawlins said following Sunday’s second win.
“I had a lot of fun today trying to express myself, which I encourage all the players to do.
“We were good out there. Tre and Terryn batted well, and then I was able to come in.
“The coach [Odedra] gave me stick earlier on saying my batting wasn’t good enough, so I wanted to prove him wrong.
“It felt like a big-pressure match with the home crowd here, but credit us. We played well and deserved the victory.”
Bermuda leads the standings with four points, two clear of Panama, who they face on Tuesday after Monday’s rest day.
On two points, the Bahamas sit in third place after beating Panama by four wickets in their only game so far. The Bahamas take on the Caymans in Tuesday’s other match.
The top three teams will join Canada for the regional finals in Bermuda in September, with the winner of that tournament clinching a qualification spot at next year’s T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States.
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