By Ian Omoro
Only a few months after his appointment in April, USA Cricket has announced Stuart Law’s departure as head coach of the men’s national team. The statement was made one day prior to the USA’s match versus Nepal in Dallas, where they are currently competing in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2.
The dismissal occurs despite the USA Men’s historic triumph over Pakistan in the ICC 2024 T20 World Cup in Texas, among other historic achievements under Law. Following World Cup wins over Canada and Pakistan and a draw with Ireland in a Florida washout, the USA made it to the T20 World Cup Super-Eight stage. This achievement, crucially, guaranteed USA Cricket a place in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup.
With six victories and three defeats, Law has also led the USA Men’s ODI team into second place out of eight in the current cycle of the Cricket World Cup League Two ODI table. The Americans are now four points behind Canada, who have played three more games than they have. Before Law agreed to a three-year deal with USA Cricket in the late spring, the USA had 16 wins, 17 defeats, two ties, and one draw in the 2022 CWCL2 cycle, which put them sixth out of seven.
“Given Stuart’s contribution to the program, this was not an easy decision to make. Unfortunately, we felt that a change was necessary for the next phase of competitive preparation,” USA Cricket CEO Johnathan Atkeison said in a press release.
USA Cricket has not yet provided an explanation for Law’s dismissal. It has struggled to maintain leadership both on and off the field of play since the ICC recognized them as an Associate Member in 2019 following the dissolution of the unsuccessful USA Cricket Association in 2017. The USA has had three different head coaches and four CEOs since Iain Higgins resigned in December 2021.
