Sri Lanka Cricket turn to baseball for fielding training

Sri Lanka Cricket has asked Gavin Fingleson, a former Olympic baseball player, to help improve the fielding skills of the national. South African-born Fingleson played baseball for Australia and is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka to discuss with the board the nature of his work and the number of trips he has to make to carry out his duties.

"I will try and utilise my baseball skills while working with the Lankans," Fingleson was quoted as saying on espnstar.com. "Pick-up, sliding and throwing are a few common elements in both baseball and cricket and there I should be able to give some crucial inputs to the Lankan players."

Fingleson said he would try to help Sri Lanka build a good fielding side for the 2011 World Cup that Sri Lanka will be co-hosting along with India and Bangladesh.

This is not the first time that cricket has borrowed from baseball. Australia's fielding coach Mike Young was also a former baseball coach.

Subscribe in a reader