Ian Pont, the English bowling coach of Bangladesh cricketers, after a gap of five years met the boy he thought to be an ideal fast bowler.
He first spotted the boy at the MRF Pace Bowling Foundation in Chennai in 2005 and highly rated him.
Pont has preserved the picture of the Bangladesh boy and Waqar Younis in his bowling manual. He was looking for the boy on his arrival in Bangladesh but did not know where to knock. Pont ion Tuesday was surprised to see the boy beside him and in the nets of the national camp.
The boy is Golam Kibria Ashik, called in as a net bowler for the national team camp from the BCB Pace Foundation.
Pont saw the bowler from the very first day in his net but they had not talked. After the net session, the national coach Jamie Siddons introduced the BCB bowling coach Sarwar Imran to Pont. When Pont and Imran were talking about the blowing of Bangladesh cricketers Ashik was standing near by.
Pont showed the picture of Ashik to Imran and Ashik was surprised to see his picture in Pont’s manual.
He had no words when Pont said he had looked for Ashik since his arrival. Ashik could remember that Pont was with Dennis Lillie when he received training in Chennai.
‘Where have you been? Do you know how much I rate you? I teach the art of pace bowling by showing the picture of you and Waqar. From now on you will keep in regular touch with me,’ Pont told Ashik.
Ashik said, ‘I cannot believe what happened today. Pont has remembered me for five years. I hope he will help me to improve my bowling.’
Ashik, a former BKSP student who has already proved his mettle, was a member in Bangladesh’s U-19 World Cup squad. He also played a number of matches for the BCB Academy team. He struck the batsmen with 85mph speed but a sudden attack of typhoid kept him off the field. Now the muscles are weak and the pace is reduced. He is, however, working hard to regain his bowling power.
Ashik’s poor parents hoped their son would be perusing an academic career instead of playing cricket. He had to sell a pair of gold earrings of his mother to pay for the admission fee at the BKSP. He later paid back the money with a house in the village.
Ashik dreams to grab a national team spot as early as possible. He is ready to show his bowling power in the premier cricket in the next season and wants to make his dream come true — bowling with his model Mashrafee bin Mortaza for the national team.
