Ian Pont
Encyclopedia
Ian Leslie Pont is an English former cricketer
. Known for a powerful throw and a brief foray into the world of baseball
, Pont mainly played for Essex
during his career, as did his brother Keith Pont
.
Despite being a very good batting coach, Ian Pont is widely viewed by his many peers and students as the world's leading coach of skill acquisition for fast bowling. He has simplified the technical aspects of pace bowling, which are vital for improving accuracy and speed. The skill drills (known as ABSAT - Advanced Biomechanics Speed & Accuracy Technique) used by Pont have been designed to teach a player how to isolate problems, correct them and then include them into their game - much in the way coaches focus on the technical aspects of batting. The result is an improved and upskilled set of bowlers as was witnessed by Bangladesh's results during Pont's tenure as National Bowling Coach (September 2010-March 2011).
Early on in his coaching career he chose to specialise in pace bowling and it is his work of coaching speed into bowlers whilst improving accuracy that is hailed a breakthrough for developing long-term bowling attacks. His first book The Fast Bowler's Bible is used by coaches and players at all levels all over the world as a blueprint. His second book Coaching Youth Cricket is recommended reading by the ECB. He also holds the current and updated new UKCC Level III Head Coach Award.
Playing Career
During his own career Pont was an aggressive batting all-rounder. As a schoolboy he excelled with the bat, setting records and scoring a prolific amount of runs at school, county and club level. His batting total runs record of 858 at an average of more than 63, set in 1979, remained unbroken for almost 30 years at Brentwood School, where he played 91 consecutive matches for the school 1st XI, a record unlikely to be surpassed. He was selected for two tours with the England Dragons to India
in 1978 and Australia
in 1979. He represented the National Association of Young Cricketers at Lord's
in 1979 as a number 3 batter and went to the World Cup in Canada
with England in 1979, which became the forerunner of the current ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He was viewed primarily as a batsman who could bowl useful swing but Pont developed himself into a fierce pace bowler who could bat.
Pont made his senior cricket
debut in September 1981, playing for Nottinghamshire
against Gloucestershire
and then Glamorgan
.a few days later. He made his first-class
debut the following year against Middlesex
at Lord's
. He played three Benson & Hedges Cup
matches for the Minor Counties
in 1983, whilst playing for Buckinghamshire
. He opened the bowling for the Minor Counties against India in 1983 as part of the World Cup
warm up. The Minor Counties were the only team to beat India at that time, who went on to famously win the World Cup that year. He returned to first-class cricket in July 1985, this time for his native Essex.
It was during the 1985 season Pont made a big and exciting impression with his aggressive quick bowling, grabbing 19 wickets late in the season at just 25 average. The Daily Telegraph commented on one match: "he returned after tea looking really quick. He has a Graham Dilley
style action and Essex appear to have a find". On Debut against Somerset
, he took 5 wickets including the prized scalps of Viv Richards
with a slower ball and bouncing out Ian Botham
. He also destroyed Warwickshire
at Edgbaston
with 4-15 in just 35 balls. He formed a youthful and potentially devastating partnership with England bowler Neil Foster
and it appeared Essex had a genuine pace attack. Ironically, it was Foster's illness on the morning of the September Nat West Final
at Lord's that allowed Pont to play against his former county Notts in what turned out to be one of the most exciting one-day finals in history. Essex went on to beat Notts by just one run, with Pont playing his part by knocking out the leg stump of his hero and mentor, Richard Hadlee
. Earlier it had been Pont's fierce, accurate throw from the boundary that set up the win, by running out a hapless lunge by Chris Broad
to make his ground. Essex also won the Sunday League
making his a double medal-winning start.
He continued playing for Essex over the following three years, also fitting in a spell playing for Natal
in South Africa
in 1985/1986. A string of run out batsmen were testimony to his amazing throwing arm. Whilst in South Africa, he recorded the second longest throw of a cricket ball
of all time, throwing 138 yards in Cape Town
. He played a few first-class matches for Essex in 1986, but 1987 started out very differently indeed.
In 1987, Pont had trials with six Major League Baseball
clubs as a pitcher
including New York Yankees
, Texas Rangers
, Toronto Blue Jays
, Cleveland Indians
and Los Angeles Dodgers
. Recording speeds of around 100 mph, he gained a one months extended trial with the Philadelphia Phillies
. At spring training
, he was a starting pitcher
for the Phillies in one exhibition game, becoming the first, modern-day professional cricketer to play in a professional baseball game.
He maintained an interest in the game in the UK playing for national champions Enfield Spartans in the British Baseball Federation
(BBF) League, and was selected to play for Great Britain
as part of the nation's attempted qualification for the Olympics. He was unable to attend due to cricket commitments but did spend one winter in Durban
, South Africa
and one in Campbelltown
, Australia playing local Major League baseball alongside his cricket career.
Aside from Cricket and Baseball, Pont briefly joined Thurrock Athletics Club where he took up the javelin
and had basic lessons in technique. It became apparent he had an aptitude and within just six weeks he had thrown the then Olympic qualifying standard of 72m. British Olympic Javelin Coach, Margaret Whitbread, mother of Olympic Gold medallist Fatima
, saw Pont throw and commented, "he has the most natural throwing arm this side of the Iron Curtain
". Due to Pont's contract with cricket he never pursued the javelin when many felt he was destined to become a rival to Great Britain star, Steve Backley
.
Back on the cricket field one of his best first-class batting performances came against New Zealand at Chelmsford
in 1986 when Pont compiled a well-crafted 43 against the tourists, adding 91 for the 9th wicket. He also hit a rapid-fire 68 against a Cambridge University
side that boasted a young, fresh-faced Michael Atherton. In County 2nd XI cricket though Pont was more than a handful. He destroyed Notts by taking 9-51 at Southend
and Gloucestershire at Chelmsford with 6-15 including a hat trick. At club level, he hit many batsmen with ferocious bouncers and was widely feared around the local club scene. In a long and successful club career, his very best bowling performance was 9-18, including 5 wickets in a single over against Hadleigh for his club Witham. All together, he took 9 wickets on three occasions, and scored 45 centuries.
Strangely, Pont's first-class playing career was stop start. Appearing in the team on batting pitches and being overlooked on bowling ones, he never really found the opportunities to cement a regular place in the team. And despite having one of the best strike rates at Essex and being looked at in 1988 by the England selectors in a couple of matches, Pont became disillusioned with County Cricket. Gloucestershire flirted with the idea of signing Pont to bolster their pace attack of Courtney Walsh
and David 'Syd" Lawrence
. However in the end Pont retired from first-class cricket halfway through a 2-year contract with Essex, aged just 27. Despite earning winners medals for three of the four domestic competitions (Nat West Trophy, National Sunday League and County Championship), he never really fulfilled his undeniable potential and left the game to take up a sales position with a computer stationery company.
He returned to minor counties cricket, playing for Northumberland
in 1989 and Lincolnshire
in 1990 and 1991. He played List A cricket for both teams. He took a devastating 6-9 in 10 overs in the Minor Counties Holt Cup one day competition, and played in the One Day Minor Counties Final at Lord's for Lincolnshire against his former county, Buckinghamshire in 1990.
Cricket Business
After retiring from all active cricket in 1990, he concentrated on his business interests, developing a reputation as a marketeer and salesman. As a partner in the clothing company Hogger Sports, he was a leader in coloured clothing, supplying the replica kit in the 1992 Cricket World Cup
, and securing the contract to supply all 18 counties in the AXA Equity Law League
in England in 1993, the first time cricket was played in coloured clothing in the UK.
Still keeping in touch with the playing side, he was regular guest on BBC Essex
radio
as summariser
. The station sent him for BBC radio training where he learned to present, produce a programme and interview. Pont was offered his own radio programme "Ian Pont's Sporting Sunday" that ran for two years and followed Essex cricket. He also anchored in the studio, hosting the sports programme for coverage of local football of Southend United
and Colchester United
.
Coaching
In 1995 he started the now famous Mavericks Cricket Institute, to help develop cricketers of all ages and abilities. Ironically though it was Essex captain Ronnie Irani
who employed Pont as a personal bowling coach. Irani and Pont worked together for 18 months with Irani adding almost 12 mph to his military medium speed. Irani was recalled to the England side and the 2003 World Cup
in South Africa, where Pont attended the England Training camp in Port Elizabeth with the approval of captain Nasser Hussain
and coach Duncan Fletcher
.
Pont's reputation at improving bowlers and bowling attacks had started to grow. First-class players and overseas players sought Pont out privately knowing he could increase the pace of a player.
He is now a fully fledged international coach, working with players in the UK and overseas on pace and accuracy. Much of his work is spent developing existing and future talent and he is viewed as a pioneer in his field, unafraid to remodel and uncomplicate an action to maximise its potential.
Pont is already a published double author. His first book, The Fast Bowler's Bible, was published in 2006 by The Crowood Press and is on its fourth reprint. Pont has recently been ECB
National and Regional Skills Set Coach and the fast bowling coach of his former club Essex. and was the Assistant Head Coach and National Bowling Coach of the Netherlands for two years up until the 2007 World Cup
, when he was lost in the reshuffle of staff when the head coach was changed after that tournament. Teenage prodigy batsman, Alexei Kerveeze, sought Pont's guidance and mentoring and he helped Worcestershire secure Kerveeze's signature Alexei Kervezee
. Pont was recently working as a technical fast bowling consultant to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
and was Head Coach of the International Cricket Camp based in Potchefstroom, South Africa that runs every December, which he masterminded and set up with North West Cricket. Gary Kirsten and Corrie van Zyl (later to become Head Coaches of India and South Africa respectively) worked with Pont, as did South African batting guru, Jimmy Cook.
For all that Pont teaches about speed it's his latest discovery, The World's Best Slower Ball known as The SLOB (Slower Obsolete Delivery), which is hailed as a breakthrough as it drops like a stone into the batting crease when appearing to be a beamer. He claims to have 21 variations of slower ball he can teach and is a specialist in coaching "pace off, pace on" one-day and T20
bowling, reverse swing and yorkers
. His coaching web site is www.maverickscricket.com
Pont is the creator of the DURABAND - Complete Cricket Trainer, a strength & conditioning resistance band product for developing muscle memory in cricketers and recommended by the ECB coaches association.
His much-awaited second book Coaching Youth Cricket was published by Human Kinetics
and came out in June 2010. The book is already recommended reading for all Level 1 and Level 2 qualified coaches and is also endorsed by the ECB Coaches Association.
He was appointed as Bangladesh national cricket team's bowling coach in September 2010 until the World Cup 2011
being held in the subcontinent. He has made an instant impact. In his very first series, dramatically improved and controlled bowling performances helped see the team "Tiger Wash" New Zealand 4-0 in the October 2010 Micromax ODI Series
. This is the first time Bangladesh has had a series win over a full-strength, Test-playing nation in its 24-year history and subsequently rose to 8th place in the ODI rankings
, above West Indies and into the elite top group of teams. Whilst here he has worked with the highly-respected and gifted fielding coach Julien Fountain
to create a slower ball
for the 2011 World Cup, known as the Projapoti in Bengali or Butterfly. The delivery has zero rotation on it and behaves like a butterfly as it appears to 'flutter' in flight and can even change trajectory completely like this Projapoti.
Pont's prowess as a fielder has also been recently recognised. He was named by former England captain Nasser Hussain in the world's best fielding eleven of all time alongside Jack Russell
, Ricky Ponting
, Mark Waugh
, Jacques Kallis
, Jonty Rhodes
, AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs
, Paul Collingwood
, James Anderson
and David Boon
. Pont featured as "Boundary Rider" and according to Hussain: "Of all the players I played with Pont had the best arm".
In his second series with Bangladesh they wrapped up a comprehensive series
win 3-1 against Zimbabwe. This win, along with the New Zealand series win, has turned around the worst run of results (27 ODI losses out of 29 matches) and turned it into 7 ODI wins out of 8 - the second best performance of any Test country in 2010.
During the 2011 ICC World Cup, Bangladesh won three of their group matches against Netherlands, Ireland and England and lost to India, West Indies and South Africa to finish level on six points with the West Indies. However, inferior run rates due to two appalling batting performances for 58 (West Indies) and 78 (South Africa), meant the West Indies went through to the Quarter Finals. Not a single no ball was bowled by Bangladesh at the World Cup.
Despite an overall impressive record of 10 wins from 14 ODI's, Pont decided not to renew his contract with Bangladesh Cricket.. He returned home in April to coach at his Mavericks Cricket Institute (MCI).
Pont has recently worked with Ranji Trophy team Haryana Cricket Association. Haryana Cricket Poised For Quantum Leap. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/Englands-famous-coach-Ian-Pont-is-set-to-coach-Haryana-fast-bowlers-He-will-be-fast-bowling-consultant-cum-coach-and-will-be-training-players-and-fellow-coaches-in-all-aspects-of-the-game-Haryana-Cricket-Association-Anirudh-Chaudhary-confirmed-the-development-sayingWe-have-hired-him-and-he-will-be-joining-us-soon-There-are-some-legalities-I-hope-everything-is-cleared-soon-he-added-/articleshow/10109394.cmsThe focus of Pont's international development work will be in India].
Pont has made a good impression in his first outing with the squad forming a good working bond with the players. One Man Pace Academy
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
. Known for a powerful throw and a brief foray into the world of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, Pont mainly played for Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
during his career, as did his brother Keith Pont
Keith Pont
Keith Rupert Pont is a first class cricketer . He was born in Wanstead in 1953 and played for Essex from 1970 to 1986. A 6 foot 2 inch seam bowling all rounder, he scored 6558 runs in 198 first class games, with a best of 125* against Glamorgan among his 7 centuries, and took 96 wickets with...
.
Biography
OverviewDespite being a very good batting coach, Ian Pont is widely viewed by his many peers and students as the world's leading coach of skill acquisition for fast bowling. He has simplified the technical aspects of pace bowling, which are vital for improving accuracy and speed. The skill drills (known as ABSAT - Advanced Biomechanics Speed & Accuracy Technique) used by Pont have been designed to teach a player how to isolate problems, correct them and then include them into their game - much in the way coaches focus on the technical aspects of batting. The result is an improved and upskilled set of bowlers as was witnessed by Bangladesh's results during Pont's tenure as National Bowling Coach (September 2010-March 2011).
Early on in his coaching career he chose to specialise in pace bowling and it is his work of coaching speed into bowlers whilst improving accuracy that is hailed a breakthrough for developing long-term bowling attacks. His first book The Fast Bowler's Bible is used by coaches and players at all levels all over the world as a blueprint. His second book Coaching Youth Cricket is recommended reading by the ECB. He also holds the current and updated new UKCC Level III Head Coach Award.
Playing Career
During his own career Pont was an aggressive batting all-rounder. As a schoolboy he excelled with the bat, setting records and scoring a prolific amount of runs at school, county and club level. His batting total runs record of 858 at an average of more than 63, set in 1979, remained unbroken for almost 30 years at Brentwood School, where he played 91 consecutive matches for the school 1st XI, a record unlikely to be surpassed. He was selected for two tours with the England Dragons to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1978 and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1979. He represented the National Association of Young Cricketers at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
in 1979 as a number 3 batter and went to the World Cup in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with England in 1979, which became the forerunner of the current ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He was viewed primarily as a batsman who could bowl useful swing but Pont developed himself into a fierce pace bowler who could bat.
Pont made his senior cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
debut in September 1981, playing for Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
and then Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
.a few days later. He made his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut the following year against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
. He played three Benson & Hedges Cup
Benson & Hedges Cup
The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals....
matches for the Minor Counties
Minor counties of English cricket
The Minor Counties are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that are not afforded first-class status. The game is administered by the Minor Counties Cricket Association which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board...
in 1983, whilst playing for Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Buckinghamshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play...
. He opened the bowling for the Minor Counties against India in 1983 as part of the World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
warm up. The Minor Counties were the only team to beat India at that time, who went on to famously win the World Cup that year. He returned to first-class cricket in July 1985, this time for his native Essex.
It was during the 1985 season Pont made a big and exciting impression with his aggressive quick bowling, grabbing 19 wickets late in the season at just 25 average. The Daily Telegraph commented on one match: "he returned after tea looking really quick. He has a Graham Dilley
Graham Dilley
Graham Roy Dilley was an English cricketer, whose main role was as a fast bowler. He played first-class cricket for Kent and Worcestershire, and appeared in 41 test matches and 36 ODIs for England...
style action and Essex appear to have a find". On Debut against Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
, he took 5 wickets including the prized scalps of Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...
with a slower ball and bouncing out Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
. He also destroyed Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
at Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
with 4-15 in just 35 balls. He formed a youthful and potentially devastating partnership with England bowler Neil Foster
Neil Foster
Neil Foster and educated at Philip Morant Comprehensive, Colchester, is a former English cricketer, who played in twenty nine Tests and forty eight ODIs for England from 1983 to 1993. He played for Essex from 1980 to 1993, earning his county cap in 1983...
and it appeared Essex had a genuine pace attack. Ironically, it was Foster's illness on the morning of the September Nat West Final
1985 NatWest Trophy
The 1985 NatWest Trophy was the 5th NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 3 July and 7 September 1985...
at Lord's that allowed Pont to play against his former county Notts in what turned out to be one of the most exciting one-day finals in history. Essex went on to beat Notts by just one run, with Pont playing his part by knocking out the leg stump of his hero and mentor, Richard Hadlee
Richard Hadlee
Sir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...
. Earlier it had been Pont's fierce, accurate throw from the boundary that set up the win, by running out a hapless lunge by Chris Broad
Chris Broad
Brian Christopher Broad, usually known as Chris Broad is a former England Test cricketer and current Test official. An opening batsman, Broad had a 25-match long international Test career during which he hit six centuries, together with 34 One Day International matches with a respectable over 40...
to make his ground. Essex also won the Sunday League
1985 John Player Special League
The 1985 John Player Special League was the seventeenth competing of what was generally known as the Sunday League. The competition was won for the third time by Essex County Cricket Club.-Standings:...
making his a double medal-winning start.
He continued playing for Essex over the following three years, also fitting in a spell playing for Natal
KwaZulu Natal cricket team
The KwaZulu-Natal cricket team is the first-class cricket team that represents the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1985/1986. A string of run out batsmen were testimony to his amazing throwing arm. Whilst in South Africa, he recorded the second longest throw of a cricket ball
Cricket ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid leather ball used to play cricket. Constructed of cork and leather, a cricket ball is heavily regulated by cricket law at first class level...
of all time, throwing 138 yards in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. He played a few first-class matches for Essex in 1986, but 1987 started out very differently indeed.
In 1987, Pont had trials with six Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
clubs as a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
including New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
, Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. Recording speeds of around 100 mph, he gained a one months extended trial with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. At spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
, he was a starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
for the Phillies in one exhibition game, becoming the first, modern-day professional cricketer to play in a professional baseball game.
He maintained an interest in the game in the UK playing for national champions Enfield Spartans in the British Baseball Federation
British Baseball Federation
The British Baseball Federation is the national governing body of baseball within the United Kingdom, founded in .BBF is a federated member of both the Confederation of European Baseball and the International Baseball Federation...
(BBF) League, and was selected to play for Great Britain
Great Britain national baseball team
The Great Britain national baseball team is the national baseball team of Great Britain. It is governed by the British Baseball Federation, which is a member nation of the Confederation of European Baseball.-History:...
as part of the nation's attempted qualification for the Olympics. He was unable to attend due to cricket commitments but did spend one winter in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and one in Campbelltown
Campbelltown
Campbelltown can refer to:Places in Australia:*Towns/suburbs:**Campbelltown, New South Wales**Campbelltown, South Australia**Campbell Town, Tasmania*Government areas:**Electoral district of Campbelltown, state electoral district in New South Wales...
, Australia playing local Major League baseball alongside his cricket career.
Aside from Cricket and Baseball, Pont briefly joined Thurrock Athletics Club where he took up the javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
and had basic lessons in technique. It became apparent he had an aptitude and within just six weeks he had thrown the then Olympic qualifying standard of 72m. British Olympic Javelin Coach, Margaret Whitbread, mother of Olympic Gold medallist Fatima
Fatima Whitbread
Fatima Whitbread MBE is a British former javelin thrower and multiple medal-winner.-Early life:...
, saw Pont throw and commented, "he has the most natural throwing arm this side of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
". Due to Pont's contract with cricket he never pursued the javelin when many felt he was destined to become a rival to Great Britain star, Steve Backley
Steve Backley
Stephen James Backley OBE is a retired British athlete who was formerly the world record holder for javelin throwing...
.
Back on the cricket field one of his best first-class batting performances came against New Zealand at Chelmsford
County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford
The County Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chelmsford, Essex, England. It is home to Essex County Cricket Club.Chelmsford is a small ground, and therefore suits big-hitting batsmen. Essex stalwart Graham Gooch scored many of his runs here and Graham Napier scored 152 of 58 balls in a...
in 1986 when Pont compiled a well-crafted 43 against the tourists, adding 91 for the 9th wicket. He also hit a rapid-fire 68 against a Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
side that boasted a young, fresh-faced Michael Atherton. In County 2nd XI cricket though Pont was more than a handful. He destroyed Notts by taking 9-51 at Southend
Garons Park
Garons Park is a cricket ground in Southend, England. The ground was first used by the Essex 1st XI in 2005. The ground will host two games in 2008, against Glamorgan in the County Championship and Northamptonshire in the Pro40 League....
and Gloucestershire at Chelmsford with 6-15 including a hat trick. At club level, he hit many batsmen with ferocious bouncers and was widely feared around the local club scene. In a long and successful club career, his very best bowling performance was 9-18, including 5 wickets in a single over against Hadleigh for his club Witham. All together, he took 9 wickets on three occasions, and scored 45 centuries.
Strangely, Pont's first-class playing career was stop start. Appearing in the team on batting pitches and being overlooked on bowling ones, he never really found the opportunities to cement a regular place in the team. And despite having one of the best strike rates at Essex and being looked at in 1988 by the England selectors in a couple of matches, Pont became disillusioned with County Cricket. Gloucestershire flirted with the idea of signing Pont to bolster their pace attack of Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh
Courtney Andrew Walsh is a former international cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches...
and David 'Syd" Lawrence
David Lawrence (cricketer)
David Valentine Lawrence is a former English cricketer, who played in five Tests and one ODI for England from 1988 to 1992....
. However in the end Pont retired from first-class cricket halfway through a 2-year contract with Essex, aged just 27. Despite earning winners medals for three of the four domestic competitions (Nat West Trophy, National Sunday League and County Championship), he never really fulfilled his undeniable potential and left the game to take up a sales position with a computer stationery company.
He returned to minor counties cricket, playing for Northumberland
Northumberland County Cricket Club
Northumberland County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northumberland and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in 1989 and Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire County Cricket Club
Lincolnshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs, which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Lincolnshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in 1990 and 1991. He played List A cricket for both teams. He took a devastating 6-9 in 10 overs in the Minor Counties Holt Cup one day competition, and played in the One Day Minor Counties Final at Lord's for Lincolnshire against his former county, Buckinghamshire in 1990.
Cricket Business
After retiring from all active cricket in 1990, he concentrated on his business interests, developing a reputation as a marketeer and salesman. As a partner in the clothing company Hogger Sports, he was a leader in coloured clothing, supplying the replica kit in the 1992 Cricket World Cup
1992 Cricket World Cup
-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
, and securing the contract to supply all 18 counties in the AXA Equity Law League
National League (cricket)
The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect the fact that large numbers of matches were played on days other than Sunday.-Sunday League:The...
in England in 1993, the first time cricket was played in coloured clothing in the UK.
Still keeping in touch with the playing side, he was regular guest on BBC Essex
BBC Essex
BBC Essex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Essex. It broadcasts from its studios on New London Road in Chelmsford on 103.5 and 95.3 FM, and on 729 , 765 , and 1530 AM. It is also available on DAB and live streaming via the internet.-History:BBC Essex launched on 5...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
as summariser
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
. The station sent him for BBC radio training where he learned to present, produce a programme and interview. Pont was offered his own radio programme "Ian Pont's Sporting Sunday" that ran for two years and followed Essex cricket. He also anchored in the studio, hosting the sports programme for coverage of local football of Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
and Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
.
Coaching
In 1995 he started the now famous Mavericks Cricket Institute, to help develop cricketers of all ages and abilities. Ironically though it was Essex captain Ronnie Irani
Ronnie Irani
Ronald Charles "Ronnie" Irani is a former England cricketer who spent most of his career at Essex County Cricket Club, latterly as captain. He is of Irani descent, the Iranis being a community of Persian Zoroastrians who immigrated to India during the British Raj...
who employed Pont as a personal bowling coach. Irani and Pont worked together for 18 months with Irani adding almost 12 mph to his military medium speed. Irani was recalled to the England side and the 2003 World Cup
2003 Cricket World Cup
-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
in South Africa, where Pont attended the England Training camp in Port Elizabeth with the approval of captain Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain OBE is a former Essex and England cricketer.Beginning his career in a strong Essex side in the late 1980s, he was an outstanding fielder and a stylish but inconsistent batsman. In first-class cricket from 1987 to 2004 Hussain scored 20,698 runs in 334 matches at an average of 42.06,...
and coach Duncan Fletcher
Duncan Fletcher
Duncan Andrew Gwynne Fletcher OBE is a former Zimbabwean cricketer, formerly captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team and the current coach of the Indian Cricket Team. He has been appointed as coach of the Indian Cricket Team on April 27, 2011...
.
Pont's reputation at improving bowlers and bowling attacks had started to grow. First-class players and overseas players sought Pont out privately knowing he could increase the pace of a player.
He is now a fully fledged international coach, working with players in the UK and overseas on pace and accuracy. Much of his work is spent developing existing and future talent and he is viewed as a pioneer in his field, unafraid to remodel and uncomplicate an action to maximise its potential.
Pont is already a published double author. His first book, The Fast Bowler's Bible, was published in 2006 by The Crowood Press and is on its fourth reprint. Pont has recently been ECB
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
National and Regional Skills Set Coach and the fast bowling coach of his former club Essex. and was the Assistant Head Coach and National Bowling Coach of the Netherlands for two years up until the 2007 World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
, when he was lost in the reshuffle of staff when the head coach was changed after that tournament. Teenage prodigy batsman, Alexei Kerveeze, sought Pont's guidance and mentoring and he helped Worcestershire secure Kerveeze's signature Alexei Kervezee
Alexei Kervezee
Alexei Nicolaas Kervezee is a Namibian -born Dutch cricketer.Kervezee rose rapidly and smartly through age-group cricket in the Netherlands, and in late July 2005, aged only 15, he made his first-class debut for his national team against Scotland in the Intercontinental Cup...
. Pont was recently working as a technical fast bowling consultant to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
and was Head Coach of the International Cricket Camp based in Potchefstroom, South Africa that runs every December, which he masterminded and set up with North West Cricket. Gary Kirsten and Corrie van Zyl (later to become Head Coaches of India and South Africa respectively) worked with Pont, as did South African batting guru, Jimmy Cook.
For all that Pont teaches about speed it's his latest discovery, The World's Best Slower Ball known as The SLOB (Slower Obsolete Delivery), which is hailed as a breakthrough as it drops like a stone into the batting crease when appearing to be a beamer. He claims to have 21 variations of slower ball he can teach and is a specialist in coaching "pace off, pace on" one-day and T20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
bowling, reverse swing and yorkers
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
. His coaching web site is www.maverickscricket.com
Pont is the creator of the DURABAND - Complete Cricket Trainer, a strength & conditioning resistance band product for developing muscle memory in cricketers and recommended by the ECB coaches association.
His much-awaited second book Coaching Youth Cricket was published by Human Kinetics
Human Kinetics (publisher)
Human Kinetics is a publisher specializing in the physical activity field. Their publications include textbooks and their ancillaries, consumer books and journals, online courses, software and audio-visual products....
and came out in June 2010. The book is already recommended reading for all Level 1 and Level 2 qualified coaches and is also endorsed by the ECB Coaches Association.
He was appointed as Bangladesh national cricket team's bowling coach in September 2010 until the World Cup 2011
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
being held in the subcontinent. He has made an instant impact. In his very first series, dramatically improved and controlled bowling performances helped see the team "Tiger Wash" New Zealand 4-0 in the October 2010 Micromax ODI Series
New Zealand cricket team in Bangladesh in 2010–11
The New Zealand cricket team toured Bangladesh from 5–17 October 2010. There were five One Day Internationals scheduled. This was the first time that Bangladesh won a series against a full strength test playing nation .-1st ODI:-2nd ODI:-3rd ODI:-4th ODI:-5th ODI:- References :...
. This is the first time Bangladesh has had a series win over a full-strength, Test-playing nation in its 24-year history and subsequently rose to 8th place in the ODI rankings
ICC ODI Championship
The ICC ODI Championship is an international One Day International cricket competition run by the International Cricket Council. The competition is notional in that it is simply a ranking scheme overlaid on the regular ODI match schedule. After every ODI match, the two teams involved receive points...
, above West Indies and into the elite top group of teams. Whilst here he has worked with the highly-respected and gifted fielding coach Julien Fountain
Julien Fountain
Julien Fountain is an English professional cricket coach and former Great Britain Olympic Baseball player...
to create a slower ball
Slower ball
In the sport of cricket, a slower ball is a slower-than-usual delivery from a fast bowler. The bowler's intention is to deceive the batsman into playing too early so that he either misses the ball completely or hits it high up in the air to offer an easy catch...
for the 2011 World Cup, known as the Projapoti in Bengali or Butterfly. The delivery has zero rotation on it and behaves like a butterfly as it appears to 'flutter' in flight and can even change trajectory completely like this Projapoti.
Pont's prowess as a fielder has also been recently recognised. He was named by former England captain Nasser Hussain in the world's best fielding eleven of all time alongside Jack Russell
Jack Russell (cricketer and artist)
Robert Charles "Jack" Russell MBE is a retired English international cricketer, now known for his abilities as an artist, as a cricket wicketkeeping coach and football goalkeeping coach.-Biography:...
, Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
, Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh
Mark Edward Waugh AM is a former Australian cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, and made his One-Day International debut in 1988. Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game. His nickname is "Junior" as...
, Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
, Jonty Rhodes
Jonty Rhodes
Jonathan Neil "Jonty" Rhodes is a former South African Test and One Day International cricketer who played for the South African cricket team between 1992 and 2003.Rhodes was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province, South Africa...
, AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch...
, Paul Collingwood
Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood MBE is an English cricketer. He has been a regular member of the England Test side, was captain of the One Day International team 2007–2008. He is also vice-captain of his county, Durham County Cricket Club. Collingwood is a batting all-rounder, whose batting...
, James Anderson
James Anderson (cricketer)
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson is an English cricketer. He plays first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club and since bursting onto the scene in 2002/03, before his first full season of county cricket, Anderson has represented England in over 50 Test matches and over 100 One Day...
and David Boon
David Boon
David Clarence Boon MBE , nicknamed Boony, is a former Australian cricketer whose international playing career spanned the years 1984–1995...
. Pont featured as "Boundary Rider" and according to Hussain: "Of all the players I played with Pont had the best arm".
In his second series with Bangladesh they wrapped up a comprehensive series
Zimbabwean cricket team in Bangladesh in 2010–11
The Zimbabwe national cricket team is touring Bangladesh, playing 5 ODI matches from 1 December to 12 December 2010.-Tour Match:-1st ODI:-2nd ODI:-3rd ODI:-4th ODI:-5th ODI:...
win 3-1 against Zimbabwe. This win, along with the New Zealand series win, has turned around the worst run of results (27 ODI losses out of 29 matches) and turned it into 7 ODI wins out of 8 - the second best performance of any Test country in 2010.
During the 2011 ICC World Cup, Bangladesh won three of their group matches against Netherlands, Ireland and England and lost to India, West Indies and South Africa to finish level on six points with the West Indies. However, inferior run rates due to two appalling batting performances for 58 (West Indies) and 78 (South Africa), meant the West Indies went through to the Quarter Finals. Not a single no ball was bowled by Bangladesh at the World Cup.
Despite an overall impressive record of 10 wins from 14 ODI's, Pont decided not to renew his contract with Bangladesh Cricket.. He returned home in April to coach at his Mavericks Cricket Institute (MCI).
Pont has recently worked with Ranji Trophy team Haryana Cricket Association. Haryana Cricket Poised For Quantum Leap. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/Englands-famous-coach-Ian-Pont-is-set-to-coach-Haryana-fast-bowlers-He-will-be-fast-bowling-consultant-cum-coach-and-will-be-training-players-and-fellow-coaches-in-all-aspects-of-the-game-Haryana-Cricket-Association-Anirudh-Chaudhary-confirmed-the-development-sayingWe-have-hired-him-and-he-will-be-joining-us-soon-There-are-some-legalities-I-hope-everything-is-cleared-soon-he-added-/articleshow/10109394.cmsThe focus of Pont's international development work will be in India].
Pont has made a good impression in his first outing with the squad forming a good working bond with the players. One Man Pace Academy