Law warns: Don’t write off Windies
STUART LAW is backing his West Indies side to challenge England this summer – despite their biggest names performing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) rather than representing world cricket’s former top dogs in the three-Test series.
The Aussie took over the running of the West Indies back in February on a two-year deal, replacing Phil Simmons who was sacked in September 2016.
Many would have viewed the job as a poisoned chalice, with the West Indies’ form and fortune in the Test and one-day formats waning to such an extent that they are likely to have to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in England.
Playing a Test series against England without the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine means that the hosts will start as firm favourites but Law is determined to lead from the front and help his side hand England a black-eye in the run-up to this winter’s Ashes series.
“I’ve really enjoyed it so far, it has been a great experience,” he told The Cricket Paper. “Despite what people will tell you, there’s an awful lot of talent here. The Board and the players are starting to work together to get the show on the road, so I feel things are only going to get better, as long as we don’t allow ourselves to get complacent.We just need to keep working hard.”
A lack of application has been one of the accusations levelled at the West Indies side in recent years as the region’s on-field fortunes have slumped. With the exception of victories against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, their only Test series win in the past eight years came against a then struggling New Zealand in 2012.
It’s a far cry from the days when they would routinely wallop allcomers, including England, who failed to win a Test against the West Indies between 1974 and 1990. That history of achievement has weighed heavily on generations of West Indies cricketers but following their triumph in the U19s World Cup in India in February 2016, Law feels there is a renewed sense of optimism around the sport.
He does, though, warn that it will take time for them to struggle to their feet, let alone put high class opposition on their backsides on the canvas.
“There are some really good young players and the makings of a really good side across all formats,” he says. “There are some semi-experienced players and some really young guys who have that ‘go at ’em and tear ’em up’ kind of attitude. From a coach’s point of view it’s really good to watch.
“Unlike a lot of tours these days, we’ve got a good bit of lead-up time to the first Test with three warm-up games.You don’t usually get that amount of time in the modern schedule so that will give the boys plenty of time to find their feet and hopefully get some runs and wickets under their belts.”
Law is no stranger to tough jobs in international cricket, having laid the foundations for Bangladesh’s dramatic improvement over the past decade. He also spent time working under fellow Aussie, Trevor Bayliss, during a threeyear stint with Sri Lanka.
The West Indies job, though, is perhaps the biggest challenge in world cricket at the current time, particularly given the strained relationship between the Cricket Board and the Caribbean’s top players. The scheduling of the CPL has only complicated his task further.
“Look, it’s not so much frustrating for me but I think it is for the players,” Law adds. “I believe that the Test team and the best players should be allowed to play in their own Championship T20. I think that’s changing next year, with the board coming to the decision to open up a couple of windows for our T20 specialists. That’s a great opportunity for the boys to get some better exposure in world class tournament and earn a bit of extra cash.
“Next year, I think we’re going to see a different landscape and players will be, I hope, able to play in the CPL alongside their commitments to the West Indies. I think the players understand that’s the way to go.”