HYDERABAD: Even before the West Indies got thrashed by a whopping innings and 272 runs in the first Test at Rajkot, the team had received a big blow. Just before they arrived in India, head coach Stuart Law had put in his papers. Scheduled to take up the job at Middlesex, the former Australia all-rounder will end this stint after the Bangladesh tour, which is lined up in November.
The 49-year-old resigned after serving for less than two years. Law had been influential in the West Indies putting up a semblance of a good show in Test cricket in the last couple of years that he was in charge.
From being involved in getting back the services of star players like Chris Gayle, who was having differences with the board, to achieving results in the longest format, Law has done it all. Under the coach, the side also qualified for next year’s World Cup.
Law’s sudden departure has reportedly left the board disappointed. This is not the first abrupt end to a West Indies coach’s tenure. It can be remembered that the last head coach associated with the team had also made a sudden exit. Phil Simmons was fired in September, 2016. Two years before that, the side has lost the services of Ottis Gibson after his resignation.
An inconsistent side having a new coach every now and then, it made matters difficult for them. When asked on Wednesday what he feels could be the impact of losing coaches at regular intervals, skipper Jason Holder said, “It’s difficult. We have got a number of coaches in the last five years. And I must say that the boys have been professional to adjust with each and every coach. I have seen that players have found it hard to deal with situations like these. Credit must go to them, whoever comes in and coaches us, we are focussed and judge ourselves on how we play.
And that’s why I don’t get too worried about what people say outside,” the lanky player remarked. “... If the dynamics of the team changes a bit, it’s hard to build something new. Every time you build something, there seems to be a barrier or an obstacle,” he added. With Law set to leave soon, Holder hopes the new coach would stay for a longer duration.
“I think Stuart has brought a different dynamic in terms of professionalism to the side. There were certain methods we needed to change and credit should go to Stuart Law for that. Hopefully, whoever comes in, we could just settle along for something longer and build something positive for the next couple of years,” he concluded.
vishalvivek@newindianexpress.com