Law Takes Center Stage: Era Begins

Scotland, June 7 -- During the 1996 Cricket World Cup held in India, Stuart Law, who had a distinctive French cut beard at the time, joined forces with Steve Waugh during the quarterfinal match against New Zealand. Together they guided Australia into the semifinals. Now, that very same Law serves as the head coach for Nepal’s national cricket squad.

At an event hosted by community leader Kashi Ram Bhandari in Scotland to honour the Nepali team, Law smiled and remarked, "That style is long gone now, the beard is completely shaved off."

According to the law, during a period of reconstruction, Nepal achieved remarkable outcomes in the initial two fixtures of the ICC CWC League 2 triangular series held in Scotland. In Forthill, Dundee, Nepal caused an upset by securing a narrow 1-wicket victory over Scotland in their opening game. They followed this feat with another impressive performance, defeating the Netherlands by 5 wickets in the subsequent encounter. Both these victories were unexpected for Scotland and the Netherlands alike.

Many people believe this marks the start of a new chapter for Nepali cricket—and they're right about that. The tour to Scotland was anticipated to be Nepal’s most challenging assignment yet, taking into account the playing conditions, surfaces, and opponents involved. However, after securing victories in their initial matches, Nepal has moved up from last place (eighth position) in the League 2 rankings to seventh spot, thus maintaining their chances of staying within the ODI category.

"This is the toughest series Nepal have ever played, and so far, we're doing well," Law, who took over as head coach just a month ago, told the Post. "Our goal is high, and we want to finish this tour with strong results."

Under his guidance, the team seems to be rejuvenated and is beginning to regain top form.

For Law, achieving success in associate-level cricket isn’t unfamiliar territory. Leading the way, he guided the USA to the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup held at home last year, outperforming squads such as Pakistan and Ireland.

Moreover, Law is particularly struck by the fervent Nepalese supporters who rallied for the team in Scotland. He remembered being amazed during last year’s match between Nepal and the Netherlands in Dallas, where more than 7,000 out of the 8,000 spectators were Nepali.

Law also has experience with English conditions from his time coaching the English county team Middlesex. Nepal still have two upcoming fixtures, facing Scotland on Sunday followed by the Netherlands on Tuesday. Since Monty Desai assumed the role of head coach in 2023, Nepal has emerged victorious in 11 out of their last 12 League 2 matches. It seems that Law is helping maintain this successful streak.

"So far, things are going well. We've had good results in the first two games. But the journey isn't over," Law said. "We're preparing for the next two matches. We believe we can repeat the results from the first two.

Our team is doing great, however, both Scotland and the Netherlands will undoubtedly put in significant effort to shift the advantage in their favor.

In 2009, Law was the assistant coach of the Sri Lankan national team. He later became head coach of Bangladesh (2011-12), the West Indies (2018), and briefly led Afghanistan for a series in 2022.

According to captain Rohit Kumar Paudel, Law and former coach Desai share a similar calm approach under pressure.

"Coach Law has kept the dugout calm, which might be the mantra of most coaches," Paudel said, adding, "Everyone praises results, but his vision of maintaining calm in the dugout is different. Results come and go, but he motivates us to stick to our effort."

Paudel also noted that Law hasn't tried to change any player's natural game. "He tells us to play the way we play, and that he'll support us."

"My batting hasn't changed in the past week, because I've been playing this way for the past 7-8 years," Paudel said. "The coach says 'continue doing what's been working'."