Bangladesh have talent, need self-belief - Stuart Law

[Murad]

Mohammad Isam
July 18, 2011

Stuart Law, the new Bangladesh coach, has said his aim is to build a self-reliant Bangladesh team that can help each other and rely less on the natural talent of individuals. Having arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning, along with new fielding coach Jason Swift, Law told his first press conference as coach that he needed to work with the team before identifying areas where they needed improvement, but felt a little more professionalism would help.

"I've seen Bangladesh play a lot of good cricket. They're very talented," Law said at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Monday. "The captain [Shakib Al Hasan] was rated No. 1 all-rounder in the world not long ago; Tamim Iqbal is a destructive top-order batsman. Maybe there are areas away from cricket in which they need to improve. A little bit more professionalism maybe, but I haven't seen them up close to see what makes them tick.

"Maybe it's not about natural talent but a bit more mental toughness, self-belief. That's what I can impart. The bigger you are the harder you fall. We are a minnow which is a good thing because we go into every game as an underdog and there's nothing to lose."

Law has played against both Shakib and Tamim; he represented Lancashire and MCC against Bangladesh A in 2008. He will start work on July 20 when Bangladesh play a practice game in Mirpur and his first assignment will be to prepare the team for their tour of Zimbabwe which starts with a tour game on July 30. He said his approach to the side would be to initially observe and see what made the players tick.

"I like to observe rather than sit down and tell them what to do. I have a 9-year-old son and he doesn't like to do what I tell him either. I've learnt over my time, the more the players want to do it, the better for the team. It's not about what I want, it's about what they want. The tour of Zimbabwe should be a good one, in conditions that we are comfortable playing on. It should be a good way to get into the role.

"In the first weeks, the job will be to put names to faces. Once we get into that, we want to make Bangladesh cricket team a team they think they should be. It's about what they expect from themselves. If they believe they should be the seventh, sixth or fifth best team in the world, that's where we should aim at first. If they all perform at their optimum, the sky could be the limit for this team."

Law played the role of interim coach for Sri Lanka on their recent tour of England but chose to join Bangladesh after the ODI series ended as they were offering him a permanent job. "Sri Lanka were not in a position to offer an extension in the contract. So there was no job on the table from them. Bangladesh had contacted my management company to seek the possibility of joining. Having been here and knowing the passion that Bangladesh people have for cricket and their team, I saw it as a great opportunity for me while I'm still young as a coach.

"Hopefully I can impart the knowledge that I've gathered from my 31 seasons of cricket and make the players as good as they can be."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/banglade...ry/523729.html

Welcome thread a post korte partam but thought this needs a new thread. Mods if you think this should be merged with the other thread, please do so.

[al Furqaan]

i like this "self-motivational" approach. lets see how things unfold. wishing the new coach and his boys the best of luck!

[roman]

Lets revisit this thread after 2 years..

[MohammedC]

I am beginning to hate the word talent. Ei ek shobddo aar kothodin shunthe hobe.

[roman]

Originally Posted by MohammedC
I am beginning to hate the word talent. Ei ek shobddo aar kothodin shunthe hobe.

jotodin notun coach ashbe . Keu to ar eshe bolbe na je tomader desh e talent nai..

[Nadim]

amar moddeo o talent ache...

[samlove0]

What are your View on Current Bangladesh COaches.. Like Staurt Law and Fielding Coach Jason Swift..

[simon]

Originally Posted by nadim 98
amar moddeo o talent ache...

amaro asey.

[deshimon]

Sokol coach er ek e buli. Tarpor o dekha jak ki korte paren tnini.

[Banglaguy]

He called us minnows...

[Nadim]

Originally Posted by Newagebd
Staff Correspondent
Australian Stuart Law arrived in Dhaka on Monday to take up the coaching job of the Bangladesh national cricket team for the next two years. Law appeared for his first formal press conference as Bangladesh coach in the evening on the same day. During the press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium the new coach shared his vision for the team and his coaching philosophy. Excerpts:  
Q: What made you take up the Bangladesh job?
Stuart Law: A fact of a few things. Sri Lanka weren’t in a position to offer an extension of contract so there was no job on the table from their respect. Bangladesh contacted my management to seek the possibility of joining. Having been here and knowing the passion Bangladeshi people have for cricket I saw it as a great opportunity for me. I am still very young as a coach and it is a great opportunity for me to learn with some of the most talented cricketers on the planet. Hopefully the knowledge that I have gained from 31 seasons in first-class cricket I can impart a bit of that knowledge to the players so that they can become as good as they can be.
Q: What is your idea about Bangladesh and Bangladesh’s cricket?
Law: I only had been here once before with the Sri Lanka team for a one-day series. I know a bit about the cricket team because I have seen them playing in England, Australia and obviously here in Bangladesh. And just knowing its huge population and that 90 per cent of the population loves cricket makes it all the more exciting. I love interacting with people who have the same passion that I have about the sport. I don’t know a lot about the culture at this stage but I am willing to learn and willing to live here and willing to respect and enjoy.
Q: What are the challenges that you expect to face? 
Law: I think when you do have a new coach or change of management it is always a challenge. The challenge for us is to put names into faces for the first couple of weeks. Once we get into that the next challenge for us is to make Bangladesh cricket the team they think they should be. It’s not about what I think they should be but what they expect from themselves. If they think they should be up in the sixth, seventh or fifth best team in the world I think that is where we should aim at.  At first to get up around there the boys should realise it’s a little bit of hard work. Natural talent can take you that far. But the work they had been doing might not be good enough so they might have to do a bit more to climb that ladder. I am sure the boys want to play for Bangladesh as long as they can and not just be in the team but perform as well as they can. If they can perform to the optimum level then sky is the limit for them.
Q: Have you set any goal for yourself as Bangladesh coach?
Law: I don’t want to sit here and make predictions.  I have got to know the players before I can start pushing them in different areas. That’s the way I do things. I didn’t come here to make big statements saying this is going to happen. I want to get in and get the feelings of the players, understand what makes them peak, what drives them on and what passions they have and once I know the player in that sort of capacity then you can start telling that this team can go this far or that far. At this stage I don’t want to make statements or too many big predictions. But we are not here for holiday, we are here to work. We want to bring Bangladesh team reward and knowledge and hopefully that knowledge will help them become a better Test playing nation.
Q: Do you think there is enough time for you to prepare the team for the Zimbabwe tour? 
Law: I think the best way to know a player is during the game of cricket. Practice is one thing it is something different to hone skill and work on technical difficulties. During a game you get to know how a player is reacting to different pressure situation.  It’s good that in a couple of day’s time they play a two-day game.  I like to get a feel for what the boys are doing, get to talk to them during the game and that’s the way I like to do things.   I have learnt over the period that the more the players want to do the better it is for the team. It’s not about what I want. It’s about what they want. I am looking forward to the tour of Zimbabwe. I should be a tour we should play good cricket in condition that is not similar to the sub continent. 
Q: The performance graph of Bangladesh cricket team is not stable. How confident are you about instilling stability?
Law: We want to have consistency and stability and that is what we strive for. The main reason why you are not consistent is because you are not sure of your role in the team. If I can have great relationship with the selectors the captain and the cricket board than I am sure we can have consistent things happening. It’s been proven the most stable relationship at the top generally provides the best environment and so the players play better cricket.
Q: Do you want to focus on individual improvement or do you do want to emphasis on performing as a unit? 
Law: I have been involved with a few cricket teams that were not as talented as the next team. But we played for each other and we won games for each other.  My philosophy is to play as team because it is a team sport. I know a lot depends on individuals in the game of cricket but if everyone is working on the same goal it makes everyone’s trouble a lot easy.
Q: In a team like Bangladesh, the coach calls most of the shots. Do you think this should be changed?
Law: I think the captain has a tough job once he gets into the field because he is the man in charge. We can only sit, observe and offer him advice at the right time. It is a tough job being a captain of a cricket team. The selectors are there to pick the team and they will have a massive influence on the final eleven. The captain should also have his input to that team because he is the one who gets out there with that team. If I can have a say than its better as there will be different opinions from different areas. But ultimately selectors will pick the team and we will be there to provide knowledge to make them achieve what they can achieve.

Source: Newagebd

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (Android)

[LBW103]

Originally Posted by Murad
Mohammad Isam
July 18, 2011

Stuart Law, the new Bangladesh coach, has said his aim is to build a self-reliant Bangladesh team that can help each other and rely less on the natural talent of individuals. Having arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning, along with new fielding coach Jason Swift, Law told his first press conference as coach that he needed to work with the team before identifying areas where they needed improvement, but felt a little more professionalism would help.

"I've seen Bangladesh play a lot of good cricket. They're very talented," Law said at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Monday. "The captain [Shakib Al Hasan] was rated No. 1 all-rounder in the world not long ago; Tamim Iqbal is a destructive top-order batsman. Maybe there are areas away from cricket in which they need to improve. A little bit more professionalism maybe, but I haven't seen them up close to see what makes them tick.

"Maybe it's not about natural talent but a bit more mental toughness, self-belief. That's what I can impart. The bigger you are the harder you fall. We are a minnow which is a good thing because we go into every game as an underdog and there's nothing to lose."

Law has played against both Shakib and Tamim; he represented Lancashire and MCC against Bangladesh A in 2008. He will start work on July 20 when Bangladesh play a practice game in Mirpur and his first assignment will be to prepare the team for their tour of Zimbabwe which starts with a tour game on July 30. He said his approach to the side would be to initially observe and see what made the players tick.

"I like to observe rather than sit down and tell them what to do. I have a 9-year-old son and he doesn't like to do what I tell him either. I've learnt over my time, the more the players want to do it, the better for the team. It's not about what I want, it's about what they want. The tour of Zimbabwe should be a good one, in conditions that we are comfortable playing on. It should be a good way to get into the role.

"In the first weeks, the job will be to put names to faces. Once we get into that, we want to make Bangladesh cricket team a team they think they should be. It's about what they expect from themselves. If they believe they should be the seventh, sixth or fifth best team in the world, that's where we should aim at first. If they all perform at their optimum, the sky could be the limit for this team."

Law played the role of interim coach for Sri Lanka on their recent tour of England but chose to join Bangladesh after the ODI series ended as they were offering him a permanent job. "Sri Lanka were not in a position to offer an extension in the contract. So there was no job on the table from them. Bangladesh had contacted my management company to seek the possibility of joining. Having been here and knowing the passion that Bangladesh people have for cricket and their team, I saw it as a great opportunity for me while I'm still young as a coach.

"Hopefully I can impart the knowledge that I've gathered from my 31 seasons of cricket and make the players as good as they can be."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/banglade...ry/523729.html

Welcome thread a post korte partam but thought this needs a new thread. Mods if you think this should be merged with the other thread, please do so.

What a SHOCKING START!!!!!!!!!

First he calls Bangladesh 'MINNOWS' and basically says they are the same as Ireland and Netherlands, Canada and Kenya, then he likens the team mentality to a NINE YEAR OLD!!!!

Oh no, no no... this is simply a shocking start.

Also he doesn''t even know the names of the players and who the main people are in the team?

Then on top of that he claims he doesn't like to coach much, but just watch..... Is THIS SERIOUSLY WHAT THE BCB HAVE HELD OUT FOR? This is the main target of their wish list and their US$225,000?

[edit] A coach who has not done any homework on the players or team and who has no passion for the role? This already has disaster written all over it.

[Murad]

^^^ Yeah I also didn't like it. We have nothing to lose? What did he mean by that? We are not Minnow like Ireland or Kenya. We have everything to lose. Our Test status will be questioned once again if the team perform bad. None of the top nations will tour/invite us.

Anyways its still the first day. At least he didn't promise anything like Siddons. Hope he will do much better than Dav and Siddons. And also hoping not to see him in the medias like Kristen and unlike Siddons.

[Jadukor]

Stuart Law is a cricketer from a golden era of Australian cricket. As his first class records show he probably would have played a lot more international cricket if he didn't need to compete with batting greats like Hayden, Langer, Gilchrist,Waugh, Ponting etc... That aussie side would have been phenomenally tough to get into for anyone and hence its no surprise he played so few.

But since he is from that era and has seen how cricket is played by a champion side, what I expect from him is to instill that attacking mindset, never say die attitude and self belief into our team.

In our immediate future there is a lot of work to be done
-we need to get back the attacking Ashraful of old. Siddons totally ruined him.
-We need to get Mash's confidence back and have him fully fit winning us games.
-We need to give opportunities (at least 3 consecutive games) to Alok to shine with the bat as well as with his leg spin
-Find us a suitable no. 3 and 4
-explore other wicket keeper batsman like Johirul
-He needs to develop Nasir, Noor and Hom as players for the future
-we need to get rid of the sissy players who doens't have courage to play shots even during the powerplays
-Most important of all Stuart Law needs to get the best out of Shakib and Tamim just like Siddons did

[kalpurush]

It's way too early to judge Law. Give him time - the two years he got, then judge.
বৃক্ষ তোমার নাম কি, ফলে পরিচয়!

[WarWolf]

Originally Posted by kalpurush
It's way too early to judge Law. Give him time - the two years he got, then judge.
বৃক্ষ তোমার নাম কি, ফলে পরিচয়!

Top post.

[godzilla]

Originally Posted by Banglaguy
He called us minnows...

I know right? What a morality booster ... LOL

When the coach himself calls the team a minnow then how else are the players suppose to think like? I hope we don't get a bumpy ride once again

[BANFAN]

Originally Posted by Banglaguy
He called us minnows...

Jamie called us even worse than that. New coaches always down play the current status of a team when they take over, so that they can keep the expectations low. But Jamie reduced the level so low & was so brutal in treating the team as such, that it almost broke the confidence we earned in the WC 07. We took a lot of time to recover from that, if we at all recovered yet.

Who ever comes and whatever they say, hardly matters now. We have a track record and we can compare the achievements of any coach against that. And none can go as low as JS went, so no worries about being tagged a minnow.

[Naimul_Hd]

I hope he does not turn out to be our "Indian version of Greg Chappel" ! Allah Bless us.

[Night_wolf]

Originally Posted by Naimul_Hd
I hope he does not turn out to be our "Indian version of Greg Chappel" ! Allah Bless us.

for that we need a দাদা

[Banglaguy]

Originally Posted by godzilla
I know right? What a morality booster ... LOL

When the coach himself calls the team a minnow then how else are the players suppose to think like? I hope we don't get a bumpy ride once again

Lol, they have talent... But they're still minnows... At least he's being a bit realistic rather than ''oh, we're going to Zimbabwe by an innings & 214 runs and then white wash everyone for the next five years''.

Originally Posted by BANFAN
Jamie called us even worse than that. New coaches always down play the current status of a team when they take over, so that they can keep the expectations low. But Jamie reduced the level so low & was so brutal in treating the team as such, that it almost broke the confidence we earned in the WC 07. We took a lot of time to recover from that, if we at all recovered yet.

Who ever comes and whatever they say, hardly matters now. We have a track record and we can compare the achievements of any coach against that. And none can go as low as JS went, so no worries about being tagged a minnow.

What is it that Jamie said?

[LBW103]

Listen guys. A head coach just in the country should not be calling the team he is about to coach 'Minnows". Minnows is the tag used for Scotland, Ireland and Canada. Even if some people on here think BD is a useless team, you do not start your first day saying the team are basically no hopers.

To liken the mentality to his 9 year old child is also an error of judgement.

Yes of course let's give him 2 years (he has signed the contract now) and we will see how those two years have gone, but I do not think BD cricket can afford to wait that long and see if he is taking us backwards.

My original point about these comments is it shows a lack of judgement on his part to say things this way. My worry is therefore he will have a flawed way of looking at the team, who he admits to not even knowing their names. If he couldn't have even been bothered to find out something about the players before he arrived then that shows he is not in BD for much more than a job, in my view. There are only NINE head coaches in international test cricket, so this is an extremely important post, and one that deserves the respect that the fans give the person who holds it.

I know people here don't care about small things like this, but it is the small things that make a big difference and if BD is to climb, it will not be on a coach that doesn't understand the BD fans, media or players.

[Tigers_eye]

Originally Posted by Jadukor
...

In our immediate future there is a lot of work to be done
-we need to get back the attacking Ashraful of old. Siddons totally ruined him.

How so? His average is still 23. That is what he had all his career. Why only blame Siddons? All the coaches who have worked with him should then be blamed. Ash has talent no doubt. It is his mind that needs a fix (shot selection). That can not be done in international cricket. Too much pressure. It has to come from domestic cricket. Getting his head straight.

Originally Posted by Jadukor
-We need to get Mash's confidence back and have him fully fit winning us games.

The sooner you get over Mash the better it is. The lad had four/five operations in his knees. The fact he is still motivated to play is big. Expecting him coming back to form is expecting a Tendu coming up through our current domestic setup.

Originally Posted by Jadukor
-We need to give opportunities (at least 3 consecutive games) to Alok to shine with the bat as well as with his leg spin

You can't help someone who does not want to help himself.

Originally Posted by Jadukor
-Find us a suitable no. 3 and 4

Already have. Only if the selectors choose them and team management play them. Z and SN.

Originally Posted by Jadukor
-explore other wicket keeper batsman like Johirul

This is something we can agree with.

Originally Posted by Jadukor
-He needs to develop Nasir, Noor and Hom as players for the future

He is the coach. That is what he is suppose to do.

Originally Posted by Jadukor
-we need to get rid of the sissy players who doens't have courage to play shots even during the powerplays

Put names and we will discuss them.

Originally Posted by Jadukor
-Most important of all Stuart Law needs to get the best out of Shakib and Tamim just like Siddons did

The tick comment, you must have missed it.

[Banglaguy]

^^^ Wow, your the answer man.

[MarufH]

Originally Posted by kalpurush
It's way too early to judge Law. Give him time - the two years he got, then judge.
বৃক্ষ তোমার নাম কি, ফলে পরিচয়!

Agreed.

Look guys, all these talk about watching and not making them do anything comes from Gary and his outstanding success. More and more coaches are realizing this is the way to go!

The fact that he is a young coach, and if he screw up here, he won't get a job anywhere else makes him a good candidate to try that much harder.

However, he needs to understand BD culture. From the vibe from different posts by Ian and Julien here, I figured BD players are kinda lazy. If you don't push them.. they don't do much...

Give him some time guys... he will get his act together.