Versatile Pont appointed Tigers bowling coach
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed Ian Pont as the bowling coach for the national team.
The 49-year-old Englishman will arrive in Dhaka tomorrow, a day after the Tigers begin training for the upcoming five-match one-day series against New Zealand at home. His contract will run up to the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and is reported to be worth around $9,000 per month.
After months of speculation, BCB finally decided to hire an experienced bowling coach, as opposed to a big name ex-player. Lance Klusener, the former South Africa all-rounder, was the initial target for the position but he declined and the others -- Andy Caddick and Venkatesh Prasad -- in the wish list were also unavailable.
Pont's inclusion will complete the coaching staff, headed by Jamie Siddons, after the appointment of the fielding coach Julian Fountain and a sports psychologist ahead of the big event.
Pont was the bowling coach for Essex for three years from 2005, as well as assistant head coach to the Netherlands, helping take the Dutch to the 2007 ICC World Cup in the West Indies. Before 2009, he also worked as ECB National Skill Sets Coach, specialist coach to the Worcestershire Academy, and invited coach of Nashua Dolphins provincial team in South Africa and the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai. He has also had stints with Warwickshire and Kent. Currently, Pont is head coach to the International Cricket Camp in Potchefstroom, which takes place each December.
He has also been a fast bowling coach to the professional squad and academy at Northamptonshire since 2008.
Pont predominantly played for Essex but also had stints in Nottinghamshire and Natal. He took 70 first-class wickets in 28 games between 1982 and 1988 including five-wicket hauls in his debut and final first-class games.
In 1987, Pont became the only modern professional cricketer to play in a professional baseball match when he started as a lead pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, following trials with six Major League teams after clocking speeds around 100 mph.
He also has the second longest recorded throw of all time -- a mammoth 138 yards -- set in Cape Town.
His specialised coaching method is known as ABSAT (Advanced Biomechanics Speed & Accuracy Technique). His book, The Fast Bowler's Bible, was published in 2006 by The Crowood Press and is on its third edition. His second book "Coaching Youth Cricket" was published in June.
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