With many believing that minnows like Bermuda have no place at the World Cup, there is bound to be a crescendo of sniggers when Dwayne Leverock takes to the field during the competition.

The 35-year-old Leverock, known affectionately as Sluggo, is big, huge, massive, even.

He weighs close to 250 lbs, and seems out of place on a cricket field, much less in the cut and thrust of a limited-overs international in the game's major showpiece.

But Leverock, a member of the Bermuda Police Force, is a key component of the attack in the side from the tiny island in the North Atlantic with his nagging left-arm spin bowling.

He has been a regular member of the national side for the last six years, and he has carried the modest attack on his beefy shoulders, a testimony to his stamina, despite his obvious girth.

When the International Cricket Council granted limited-overs international status to Bermuda, along with the other Associate nations that qualified for the World Cup last year, Leverock played with the national side in their first ever match against Canada last May.

He later became the first Bermudian bowler to snare five wickets in a limited-overs international, when he opened the bowling against Kenya in Nairobi, and he collected five for 53 runs from his allotment of 10 overs.

His performances with the ball have elevated him into 90th position on the ICC World Rankings of all bowlers in limited-overs internationals which makes him the No. 1 ICC High Performance bowler.

Leverock has little or no pretensions as a batsman, but he again showed that indomitable spirit, when he fought gallantly to post his maiden first-class 50 in a run feast against the Netherlands (another ICC Associate playing at the World Cup) in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.

His performance was tinged by a bit of controversy, when he expressed dissent after he was given out lbw, and he was consequently fined for his behaviour.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)