BCB names Fountain as fielding coach

Bangladesh Cricket Board on Tuesday formally announced ex-British baseball player Julien Fountain as the new fielding coach for the national side upto the World Cup 2011.
The 40-year old, who has been in cricket coaching for nearly two decades, will be arriving in Dhaka on Thursday to start his stint with the Tigers, the BCB said in a statement.
Fountain, who has previously worked as a fielding coach for the West Indies, Pakistan and England said he was excited at the prospect of coaching a talented and youthful side like Bangladesh
‘I am really looking forward to joining Bangladesh in their search for World Cup 2011 success. Bangladesh are a young side who have proved that they are capable of beating the best sides in the world on their day,’ the BCB statement quoted him as saying.
‘I honestly believe that as one of the host nations, Bangladesh are a really strong contender, and with the right preparation, who knows what they are capable of achieving,’ said Fountain.
Before taking the Bangladesh job, Fountain was recently a part of the ICC High Performance Program which looks after the top six associate nations.
He is the first baseball player to coach a senior international cricket team, when he was appointed as specialist fielding coach to the West Indies Cricket Team in South Africa 1998 and again against Australia in 1999. He was Malcolm Marshall’s assistant coach during the World Cup in England in 1999.
He was a member of the British Olympic baseball team and has played baseball in the USA, Europe & the UK and has competed at major European Championships. Fountain however is not a complete stranger in cricket as he played cricket for Somerset Under-19 side aged only 15.
He has extensive coach Education experience having designed and tutored courses for the ECB, PCB, WICB and many other governing bodies. This includes the UKCC ECB Level-4 Fielding Module which he researched, compiled and delivered in 2007.

Courtesy of NewAge