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DreamCricket Academy Media Release, Hillsborough, NJ

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The Tigers are on a high with back-to-back series wins against New Zealand (4-0) and Zimbabwe (3-1).  Even before the arrival in September of the two specialist coaches, Julien Fountain for fielding and Ian Pont for bowling, the Tigers were always competitive.   But their fans have witnessed a new sense of purpose and self-belief since September.

Going into the third match against Zimbabwe, the spinners, especially Abdur Razzak, were doing their job extremely well but the pace bowlers were a little out of sorts.  The bowling coach Ian Pont hoped on December 5th that the pace bowlers too would return to form.  "Well, sometimes bowlers lose their rhythm, they lose their timing," Pont told The Daily Star.  "In the nets, everything looks good; but in matches, it's not so." 

"Mashrafe is coming back from an injury.  But he will come back strong, he's been a great bowler for Bangladesh, and he has a lot of talent, he's very clever, and he's one of our better fast bowlers," Pont predicted.  As if on cue, Mashrafe produced a 2-for-25 spell (8 overs, 2 maidens) in the last match of the series. Shafiul Islam too was on target conceding a miserly 10 runs in his 7 overs even though he went wicketless.  

Shafiul, who took 4 for 43, in the third match was full of praise for Coach Pont: "I am working on my bowling speed and trying control in speed and swing, as per directions from the coach. My highest bowling speed was 143 km per hour as far as I know."

Ian Pont, DreamCricket Academy's International Coach, is a firm believer that for a country to succeed, it must focus on what is important, not what is urgent.  In January 2010, he wrote his column 'Five ways to make cricket attractive to Americans.'   For USA to realize its potential in cricket, he wrote that it must 'develop players correctly.'

"Get a development plan, stick to it and see it through. The only way any country can make a sport attractive is to develop those who already play first, so the national teams that represent that country actually perform well."

Meanwhile, fresh accolades came for Ian Pont from a wholly unexpected source.  Pont was named in the World’s Best Fielding XI by former England captain Nasser Hussain last week. Hussain, now a commentator on SKY SPORTS, chose a team of the world’s best fielders by position in what he described as “My Perfect XI”. And Pont was in as ‘Boundary Rider’ alongside some of the most illustrious fielders in the history of the game.

49 year-old Pont was chosen for the cover boundary, alongside James Anderson on the mid-wicket fence, Jack Russell (wicket-keeper), Ricky Ponting (first slip), Mark Waugh (second slip), Jacques Kallis (third slip), Jonty Rhodes (backward point), AB de Villiers (Cover), Herschelle Gibbs (mid-wicket), Paul Collingwood (square leg) and David Boon (short leg).

Hussain added, “Throwing from the boundary is all about trajectory. The more powerful the arm, the flatter the throw and the quicker the ball comes in. Of all the players I ever played with Pont simply had the best arm. His throw was so powerful he went to try for a professional baseball contract in the US.”

Pont was humbled by the accolade. “It is really something to be recognised by a Test legend within a team of international greats. I was reading the list and saw my own name in it. I was the only person I had never heard of”, he joked. “Seriously, it is a humbling thing to have that honour bestowed on me. I wasn’t a quick runner but once I had the ball in my hand I was able to get it in faster than anyone else with accuracy. Even today my arm is still good. I’d fancy my chances of out throwing most current fielders. I’m not sure though that I would feel great the next day. ”