It's often said that several quality fast bowlers were reduced to the bench during Australia's golden era due to the sheer volume of talent already in the pool. This holds true for their batting as well and Stuart Law's case is a point in that direction. The Queenslander was a run machine in the domestic circuit, be it in Australia or in England but never really got enough opportunities in Australian colors. Imagine getting a solitary Test match, scoring an unbeaten fifty in the only innings in it and then never playing the format again? That's how it went for Law. In ODIs, he got comparatively more footage and played over 50 games. Although his numbers weren't staggering, he was a more than effective batsman who unfortunately had to float around the batting order to get a chance in the playing XI.

Law's international debut happened in 1994 and even as he featured sparingly in international cricket, he amassed truckload of runs in Sheffield Shield and in the County circuit as well. In fact, Law had made such a name for himself in England that he could have possibly switched to the country for rewriting his international career but that wasn't in his wishlist. He yearned for being an Australian cricketer and dreamt of being a regular in the side. Only that it wasn't realistically possible due to the extreme competition for spots in the side. The lack of continuity in ODIs and an unstable batting spot hurt Law's ambitions, so much so that his form started waning in 1998-99. Eventually, he was dropped before the World Cup in England and wasn't picked again.

Despite the anti-climax to his international career, Law's enthusiasm barely dimmed as far as domestic cricket was concerned. He had an excellent time at Essex and Lanchashire, also producing excellent efforts from 1999-2003 as a batsman and thereafter, leader. Law was part of the now defunct Indian Cricket League and his participation there did cost him his place at Essex. It was only the County's loss ultimately as Derbyshire signed up him before the 2009 season. After his tenure as a cricketer, Law took to coaching roles at different levels, most biggest of them being the batting consultant for the Australian team. He coached Bangladesh briefly in 2014 and in early 2017, became the coach of West Indies. Known for being a shrewd tactician, Law has made a name for himself for being a canny coach.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan