Stuart Law Appointed as New Head Coach of Nepal Men’s Cricket Team
On March 29 (Saturday), former Australian cricketer Stuart Law was named as the new head coach of Nepal’s senior men’s team for a two-year contract. The 56-year-old, who appeared in a solo test and 54 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Australia, has coaching experience for the United States of America (USA) in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Following Monty Desai’s two-year tenure completion in February 2025, Stuart becomes the second Aussie after Dav Whatmore to be welcomed as Nepal’s head coach.
Stuart Law’s Career Achievements as Head Coach
The following are the notable achievements of Stuart Law since he started his coaching career for Sri Lanka in 2009 and went on to represent different teams:
- Sri Lanka’s Interim Coach (2009-11):
- Qualified for the ICC World Cup 2011 final match
- Bangladesh’s Head Coach (2011-12):
- Entered first-ever Asia Cup final in 2012.
- West Indies Head Coach (2017-18):
- Test series victory against Bangladesh (2-0) and Zimbabwe (1-0) in a 3-match series.
- A sensational 322-run chase to secure a historical test match victory against England at Headingley.
- Helped the West Indies clear the ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2018 to participate in the main event in 2019.
- Afghanistan’s Interim Head Coach (February to June 2022):
- 2-match T20I series balanced with a 1-1 scoreline against Bangladesh.
- USA Head Coach (April to October 2024):
- Won the 5-match T20I series vs Canada by a 4-0 margin.
- A 2-1 triumph vs Bangladesh in a 3-match T20I series ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
- A Super Over victory against Pakistan.
- USA’s memorable debut in the T20 World Cup 2024 edition as they qualified for the Super Eights rounds for the first time.
Why was Stuart removed as the USA Head Coach?
Regardless of the considerable success rate, Stuart Law was sacked as the USA’s head coach in October 2024 following allegations of discrimination against the team players of Indian origin. Also, it was reported that there was an increased strained relationship between Stuart and the players during the previous year’s T20 World Cup and the Netherlands tour.
Also, it is said that Law was recalled from his responsibilities after the USA’s humiliating 10-wicket loss to Scotland in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, 2023-2027, played on 25th October 2024, at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
Unfortunately, the ex-right-handed batter’s tenure ended within seven months since his appointment, despite guiding the team to victory against full-member nations like Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Nepal’s Outcomes Under Monty Desai’s Coaching
Under the guidance of the former head coach Monty Desai, Nepal holds a bag mixed with wins and losses. It includes a whitewashing victory of 3-0 against the USA in the T20I series and a 3-0 triumph over Canada in the ODI series at home.
However, Nepal witnessed a winless campaign in the T20 World Cup 2024 and failed to establish their mark against top-tier teams like Pakistan and India in their debut season of the Asia Cup 2023.
Stuart Law’s First Assignment as Nepal Head Coach
Stuart is set for his first assignment as Nepal’s head coach starts with the upcoming tri-series against Scotland and the Netherlands in June 2025 in Scotland.
The contest will be crucial to gain crucial points, which is a part of the ICC World Cup League 2 fixtures. Currently, Nepal stands in seventh position out of eight teams in the points table. With the top four teams from the tournament proceeding further to the ODI World Cup 2027 Qualifier, the lower four will have to play the Qualifier play-off and try to progress.
