T20 World Cup: Stuart Law hopes Nepal will be inspired by Zimbabwe

Mumbai: Former Australia batter Stuart Law, part of the team that reached the 1996 World Cup final, has since carved out a wide-ranging and accomplished coaching career. He has led Bangladesh (2011-12), West Indies (2017-19), Afghanistan (interim, 2022), Bangladesh U-19 (2022) and USA (2024), and has been Nepal’s head coach since March 2025.

The well-travelled coach said he was not surprised by Zimbabwe’s stunning 23-run victory over Australia on Friday.



Praising the African side, Law, ahead of Nepal’s Group C clash against West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, said, “Zimbabwe have been playing a lot of cricket since they came back into world cricket and have gained experience. Australia may have got it wrong at the toss (by choosing to bowl first), but you can’t blame the toss alone.”

Law now hopes Zimbabwe’s feat will inspire Nepal to pull off a similar upset against the in-form West Indies, who have won both their matches convincingly so far. “Zimbabwe just played better on the day, and that’s what we can do as well,” he said.

Despite being on the brink of elimination, Nepal have shown glimpses of their talent, nearly chasing down 185 against England in their tournament opener. They can also draw confidence from the fact that they defeated the West Indies 2-1 in a T20I series in Sharjah last Sept.

However, their heavy defeat to T20 WC debutants Italy on Thursday would have been a major setback.
Law also urged his players to stay away from social media and focus on the task at hand.


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