“It’s a little bit frustrating obviously because the boys were all looking forward to playing cricket having been preparing for this tournament for the last few months – but now we just have to sit in the hotel and wait to see what happens.

“Some of the boys are out in the pool while the weather’s still alright, some of them are up in the rooms just taking it easy.

“It’s just a matter of staying patient and relaxed because what happens from here on in is in the hands of mother nature – and you do not mess with mother nature!”

According to the Bermuda Weather Service, meanwhile, at Press time last night Ernesto was a few hundred kilometres off the coast of Cuba and was scheduled to reach southern Florida at 9 a.m. local time.

The prospect of Ernesto being upgraded to a hurricane could not be ruled out.
And the likelihood of cricket taking place in the Fort Lauderdale area at all this week looks bleak according to forecasters, with squalls and heavy showers expected to continue even after the main brunt of the storm has passed.