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TRELAWNY - Bermuda skipper Irvine Romaine wants fans to give his team of amateurs a break during the cricket World Cup and quit talking about the size of their waistbands.
Bermudan policeman Dwayne Leverock has caught the imagination of cricket fans with a 121kg frame.
He has also proved a very handy left-arm spinner, impressing despite a crushing warm-up defeat at the hands of England last week.
Leverock had the destructive Kevin Pietersen raving after having him stumped and he also removed Paul Collingwood in an impressive spell of two for 32 from 10 overs.
Romaine was asked about Leverock's fitness and apparent lack of agility at a news conference yesterday.
"Remember we are amateur athletes. He is a policeman, I'm a school teacher," added Romaine, who has represented Bermuda at soccer and is himself built like a strapping central defender.
"If he were a professional athlete he would do dietitians and stuff like that," Romaine said.
"The only thing he has to worry about is finding criminals every day.
"We only play cricket maybe Saturdays, maybe Sundays, from 4pm to 6pm after work.
"You can't expect the guy to lose a lot of weight, have a six-pack and stuff," he said. "He has been working like a professional [athlete] only in the last one month. I don't think he could have lost any big weight in this time."
In fact, Leverock has slimmed down from 133.3kg.
Bermuda are in Group B with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
- REUTERS
