While Natal cricket may be losing coach Graham Ford, the signing of an overseas professional for next season was confirmed yesterday. Experienced West Indian paceman Eldine Baptiste, a key member of the Eastern Province attack since 1991/92, will be moving to Durban for next season on a two-year contract. Having just turned 39, he should finish his playing days in Natal after which he is expected to make a valuable contribution on the coaching front.

Ford said yesterday that he was very happy to have Baptiste in the fold. ``He will bring so much to Natal cricket. He's been very good for Eastern Province in the last two seasons and he's a wonderfully tight bowler who is able to create pressure. And then there's his batting and the help he can give in coaching the bowlers.''

Natal's last overseas professional was another West Indian paceman, Malcolm Marshall, who proved an inspirational figure in Natal's successful run from 1992/93 to 1995/96, and Ford believes Baptiste could have a similar effect on the development of Natal's younger players.

``Eldine's attitude and competitiveness are in a similar vein to Malcolm's and I'm sure he'll be able to get the best out of the younger players.'' KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union chief executive officer Cassim Docrat said yesterday that Baptiste would be ``a tremendous asset''.

``He was recommended to us and we're very happy to have such a fantastic player on board.''

Docrat also confirmed that Natal were negotiating with Gauteng wicketkeeper/batsman Nic Pothas but no finality had yet been reached. Gauteng have been bedevilled by friction between players and the union this year and Pothas has been linked to moves to either Northerns or Natal, where he would join team-mate Ross Veenstra.

Ford agreed that Baptiste's presence would be very helpful if he (Ford) was chosen as the new coach of the national side.

``We haven't yet discussed my involvement with Natal should I be appointed national coach,'' Ford admitted. ``But I would still like to work with Eldine at the beginning of next season and it's nice to know that someone like him will be there if I'm national coach.''

Baptiste has played 10 Tests and 43 limited-overs internationals for the West Indies, as well as eight years of county cricket for Kent and Northamptonshire, during which he has registered a first-class batting average of 27 and has taken nearly 700 wickets.

Docrat said yesterday that the acquisition of new players Baptiste, Veenstra and Goolam Bodi meant Natal were ``well set'' for next season's bid to rejoin the top teams in South African domestic cricket.