Former Australian cricketer Stuart Law is a well travelled coach. Currently in Chittagong coaching the Afghanistan team, the one-Test wonder previously served the Sri Lankan national team as assistant coach before taking up the head coach position with the Lankans. The 53-year old, who also coached the West Indies and Middlesex, had a fond albeit brief spell as coach with the Bangladesh team, remarkably guiding his charges to a place in the Asia Cup 2012 final. Law gave an exclusive interview to Dhaka Tribune on his experience so far as Afghanistan coach, his coaching philosophy, his time with the Tigers and the fact that he will be a free agent after the Bangladesh T20Is. Here are the excerpts:
What inspired you to take the Afghanistan job, though it’s very short-term?
It inspired to work with a group of young players mixed with some very good experienced quality players like (Mohammad) Nabi, Rashid (Khan). Mujeeb (Ur Rahman) and (Najibullah) Zadran, I have worked before in the UK for Middlesex. Just to be up close and see how it works was the main reason and the fact that I am sitting at home in an English winter, the experience in Chittagong and Dhaka has been breath of fresh air. We need to work out on how it is going to work moving forward. This year is a very busy year with the Asian teams with the Asia Cup coming up in Sri Lanka in September and then the T20 World Cup in Australia. So, it’s a busy time. It's exciting to think you could be a part of that as a coach. Its only young, I have been here four or five days. I am enjoying what’s going on. The players want to learn and want to get better. It’s a good sign. Who knows, early days but it's worth discussing and looking at.
You have already lost the ODI series 2-0, with the third game left, but surely you have sensed positive atmosphere in the team...
The willing to fight that they have showed in the first game, we still lost that, but the fight we did to take the game to the second last over was great character, defending relatively a small total (215). There are areas where improvement needs to happen quickly for Afghanistan to play really good cricket against bigger nations. As I said there are some great exciting youngsters. Fazalhaq Farooqi has been brilliant in the two games – his first spell in the first game was outstanding and his first spell in the second game was of high quality as well. He is a young player who has come into this team with this tour, he got to play the first game and he has grabbed that opportunity with both hands. That’s all you could ask for a player to do.
Afghanistan batters are considered big hitters in limited-over cricket. What are their strengths do you reckon?
They are strong and its natural. The genetics allow them to be strong. I think they have very positive mindset and once they are positive in mind the strength they have, they can hit the ball hard. They got powerful throwing arms. Spinners are strong and they bowl at a good pace which is hard to hit. So there is all that natural ability which as a coach you cannot coach them. It's just the matter of putting some polish on top of it to make them understand the more technical side of batting and bowling. You can use your raw power and pace but little polish can make them score 275 or 280 instead of 220 or 230. These cricketers from Afghanistan simply need to play more cricket to develop themselves.
You were coach of Bangladesh when they played the Asia Cup 2012. That is considered a big step for the team in terms of developing as a good side. What changes do you see within the Bangladesh ODI team now? They are at the top of the ICC Super League table...
You see some strength and depth in the team now. The exposure the players have had on world stage since my time with them and the development with franchise cricket in the country and also the players getting recognized outside in franchise tournaments as well is a great credit in a way to Bangladesh. They have grown the players and the game itself. You have got Shakib al Hasan, the best all-rounder of world cricket. Tamim Iqbal is a devastating opener. He has not fired in this series yet and I hope that remains the same for Afghanistan’s sake. You also got emergence of the young players like (Mehedi Hasan) Miraz, he has been outstanding in this series. He has been in and out of the team but he has shown high quality of what he is about and to put that into consistent performance is a credit to him. We saw wonderful innings from Liton Das and he is one of the difficult batsmen to bowl at in these conditions. Mushfiqur (Rahim) keeps getting better and keeps doing his job. Mustafizur (Rahman) is one of the most difficult bowlers to face in limited-overs. Taskin Ahmed my word, he is strong, he is fit and bowls fast, he has been brilliant with his line and length in the first two games. So all-round what I have seen, the depth of the players Bangladesh have got now is of such good quality that if there are injuries or if they need to make a change, the people they could bring in can do fantastic job as well. It's actually very good model for Afghanistan to follow. I reckon maybe 10 or 15 years ago Bangladesh were at the same place as Afghanistan are in now. Not playing enough cricket, struggling to fund tournaments. Doing the best they can with what they have but if Afghanistan can follow Bangladesh, I reckon in five to 10 years, they can be in a better place in five or 10 years securing opportunities for young players to become better, and they have the talent. There is so much of talent in Afghanistan. I keep getting told that the local spinners are very good, there are some fast bowlers as well and the batsmen hit the ball a mile. To have a look they can speak with BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) officials on how they progressed in developing the game.
Miraz was one of your brightest students in the Bangladesh U-19. How have you seen him grow and what do you think he has in store for Bangladesh team in future?
I look back into the conversations I had with him in the tournament where we lost to the West Indies in the semi-finals. Looking back to the way he played the first game in this series against Afghanistan, never say die, always in the contest, stand up when you think it's time to take another step, he certainly did that in the first game. He was a great leader in the U-19 arena, he led by example and not by only words. He is a passionate young man, highly skilled, he can bat and be brilliant in the field. He is not a mystery spinner but he is very difficult for the way he bowls the off-spinner. He is someone Bangladesh could look at for a leadership role in the years to come, that’s a feather in his cap.
You had witnessed Tamim as one of the leading batters for Bangladesh and now he is captain of the ODI team. How do you see him as a skipper having already played two matches against him in the series?
His leadership skills have been brilliant. You can only pick up so much watching the game, his understanding of the players’ play, team out there at the ground runs itself to a certain extent – that comes from a good leadership. The plans they have off-field he carries them to the field but the whole team knows what's going on. He is not a dictator. I think once you have everyone fighting for one goal, you cannot just have one captain out there. You have another 10 players giving input and the captain is making the final decision. Looks like Tamim has got that inclusiveness with his players to contribute, it’s a great way to lead the team and everyone feels responsible for success and that builds a great culture.
The 2023 World Cup is probably the last time you will see Tamim, Shakib, Mahmudullah and Mushfiq play the world 50-over event and it will be the fourth World Cup for them playing together for Bangladesh. What can be the best outcome for them?
Look, there has been a lot said from the last couple of World Cups where Bangladesh have performed. Looking at the World Cup, they were close in a number of games. I commentated on few of the games and Bangladesh were close to winning a few of the games. If you can turn that very close into getting over the line their fortune can simply turnover. You look at the next World Cup which is in the subcontinent where they will be comfortable with for the way they play the game, it suits the players. So, they got an outstanding opportunity to cause a lot of teams headaches and they have proven it before. I saw them beat India and Sri Lanka in that Asia Cup [2012], there is no reason why they cannot do it again. If they can play anywhere near to how they have played in this series [Afghanistan] – that’s going to shake up a few teams. To go on and win it will be a fairytale but it is not beyond these players. Whether they have got the mental toughness to stand up against the Indians, the Pakistanis, the Australians and the English remains to be seen but the way they played and the way they can play, if they can be on their front foot – they are a difficult team to beat.
What if there is an offer from BCB to work for them again?
At the moment I have to work out on what’s right for me and the family. But I also have to take one project which I can make difference to. Right now, the job I am in with Afghanistan is just a consultancy role, a short term but there are positives and differences I can make in it. And the same would be for anywhere else - Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, England or Australia. If I can make a real difference and put some valuable knowledge into the players, teach them not only cricket but also to be a better person, then it is worth looking at. After the T20 series in Dhaka I am a free agent.