Stuart Law named new Bangla Tigers Head Coach for Abu Dhabi T10
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Stuart Law named new Bangla Tigers Head Coach for Abu Dhabi T10
Bangla Tigers on Thursday named former Australia batsman Stuart Law as the new head of the franchise ahead of the Abu Dhabi T10 scheduled to be held at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The tournament is being staged under the aegis of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), with official approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Also joining Law in the coaching staff were former England wicket-keeper batsman Paul Nixon as the new batting coach, whereas one of the game’s fastest bowlers, Shaun Tait of Australia will be the new bowling coach. Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was earlier appointed icon and captain of franchise.
After ending his playing career in 2009, Mr Law was Sri Lanka's assistant coach, then was head coach of Bangladesh and has also been West Indies' chief coach.
Speaking about his appointment, Law said: “I have enjoyed my time as coach around the world and have learnt from all my roles. Anything that is new and is innovative like T10 cricket always has an automatic appeal. From a coaching perspective it presents new challenges to test yourself against in a world-class environment. I am looking forward to joining forces with some of the world’s best players for Bangla Tigers. I share the enthusiasm of our team owners in building a world-class franchise.”
Mr Nixon had a brief outing at international level when he was selected for the T20 international against Australia in Sydney on the 2006-07 tour. He made his ODI debut shortly after, against Australia at Melbourne. Mr Nixon retired from all forms of cricket after the 2011 season and was appointed as the Head Coach for Leicestershire Foxes in October 2017.
On his part Mr Nixon expressed his happiness at being associated with the franchise. “It is a privilege and a honour to be working with such a professional franchise. I cannot wait to get started in my new role,” said Mr Nixon.
Mr Tait on his part will join the franchise after a stint with Afghanistan’s side during the T20 World Cup.
“It’s an exciting challenge and I’ve always wanted to give back in any way I can. The experience I have, my knowledge of the game, and my overall organisational skills will be key aspects as we try to develop a winning team culture," said Mr Tait about his new role.
Meanwhile, the franchise have retained West Indies’ dashing pair of Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles, Sri Lanka’s terrific new-ball bowler Isuru Udana, Afghanistan’s mystery spinner Qais Ahmed and United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s pre-eminent batsman Chirag Suri.
Fletcher was part of the West Indies’ T20 World Cup winning squad in 2016, whereas Charles was member of both the T20 champion sides of West Indies in 2012 and 2016. Udana’s limited-overs skills has stolen everyone’s attention, whereas Ahmed’s spin has caught many a batsman in his web, and Suri has been a consistent scorer for UAE.
Bangla Tigers owner Mohammad Yasin Chowdhury said: “It is terrific to have a world-class cricketer and coach like Stuart (Law) as our head coach. He is a terrific addition to our squad because he comes with a fantastic track record. I am certain that we will have a perfect finish to our campaign this time around.”
“Paul (Nixon) is a dynamic, dedicated, passionate and motivational coach, who will lead the cricketers with the fighting spirit and able to maintain positive approach in the dressing room during the match even at the crucial stage of the game. He is the perfect coach for us for the race to the championship,” said Mr Chowdhury, about Mr Nixon’s appointment.
On Shaun Tait’s appointment and retained players said, Mr Chowdhury said: “At Bangla Tigers we have always been closely associated with cricket. The presence of a dynamic personality like Shaun will add a lot of depth to the squad because we have some terrific players whom we have in our line-up like Faf (du Plessis), Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles, Isuru (Udana), Qais (Ahmed) and Chirag (Suri) amongst a whole host of others. I am certain that we will do well this season.”
About Bangla Tigers
Bangladesh has 160 million cricket loving fans. Middle-East, especially the UAE has over 1.6 million Bangladeshi immigration. Cricket has given them a chance to bond. Bangla Tigers takes than one boundary ahead, and helps pump up the emotions on the field. The franchise is owned by FMC Group of Companies, a shipbuilding & ship-repairing company based in Chattogram, Bangladesh.
