Julien Fountain, the new fielding coach of Bangladesh cricket team, arrived in Dhaka on Thursday and made no delay in working out his plan with head coach Jamie Siddons.
Hours after his arrival, Fountain went to the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium and met the acting chief executive of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Nizamuddin Chowdhury, to complete some formalities.
Siddons, who was waiting at the BCB office for the ex-British baseball player, came forward and got himself introduced to him. On their way to the dressing room Siddons found national skipper Mashrafee bin Murtaza in the BCB corridor and introduced him to his new assistant.
At the dressing room Siddons, who chose Fountain for the post from among the seven applicants despite not knowing him personally, introduced the new fielding coach to some senior players.
They also held a meeting on how they will start when Bangladesh will formally begin their preparation for the World Cup on August 22.
Earlier, Fountain confessed to the waiting reporters that he had very little idea about Bangladesh cricket before taking up the job.
‘To be honest I don’t know much about Bangladesh cricket and all I know is through television and British media,’ Fountain told reporters, shortly after his meeting with the BCB’s CEO and senior vice-president Mahbub Anam.
‘However, I have learnt that it is a young and dynamic cricket side and I am looking forward to working with them,’ said Fountain, who played cricket for Somerset Under-19 team before persuing his career in baseball.
Though he has got a contract until the World Cup 2011, Fountain, a former fielding coach of West Indies, England and Pakistan, said he is looking beyond.
‘My contract with the BCB is until the end of World Cup and there is a possibility to go beyond that,’ said a confident Fountain.
Fountain, however, did not set any goal for him and Bangladesh team.
At the moment it is too early to say about any particular goal. All I can say is that I will be planning for the World Cup and there are a lot more plans in the pipeline’ he said.
Fountain underlined that agility, athleticism, aggression and attention are the prerequisites to be a good fielder.
