Stuart Law is the perfect fit to lead Middlesex out of the doldrums

A cursory glance at Middlesex’s scorecard on the day he was appointed would have told Stuart Law plenty about the scale of the task facing the former Australia batsman in his role as their new coach.

Fourth in Division Two, promotion beyond them, Middlesex had nothing but pride on their final game of the season. Still, they were bowled out for 121 and more than 100 behind Durham — skittled for 61 and 66 last week and eighth in Division Two — at stumps on day one. Middlesex failed to qualify from either white-ball competition, losing a dozen Blast games, more than any other team.

The title win of 2016 seems far longer than two years and two days ago, because somewhere along the way the “humble and hungry” mantra espoused then went missing.

Middlesex’s players learnt the identity of their new coach when they left the field last night and were pleased. Law is remembered in the county game, from his 14 straight seasons with Essex, Lancashire and Derbyshire as the most uncompromising of Australians: hard but fair, and intolerant of low standards or soft excuses. It says a bit of the drift suffered by a talented squad that Middlesex’s players accept the need for this sort of character. The lure of Lord’s has told for a coach with experience well beyond the county game.

It is more than two months since Richard Scott lost his job 10 months too late, and Middlesex’s search for his replacement has been exhaustive, thorough and discreet enough that the successful candidate’s name was never seen in print. A decent outcome has been reached, particularly as Daniel Vettori’s two-year stint as T20 coach has come to an end. Law was never likely to tolerate handing over control for six weeks, and Vettori did not have the record to require retention. The club has clarity now, which is at least a starting point on the road to success.

Law has beaten stellar names to the job, including England’s Paul Farbrace and Mark Ramprakash. Andy Flower pulled out early, while it is hoped that Richard Johnson — Scott’s assistant and the man entrusted with the Championship side for two months — will stay on as assistant coach. A combination of Law, a man with no prior links to the club but a fine knowledge of county cricket, alongside Angus Fraser, the director of cricket, and Johnson, another man who knows Lord’s intimately, will be a decent blend. An outside voice was certainly required to get Middlesex moving again.

There are holes in the team that can, at least in part, be solved by players returning from injury, not least the talisman Toby Roland-Jones. Law will look down his side and recognise the need for fresh ideas in the spin bowling and wicketkeeping departments. When it comes to white-ball cricket, almost every department is ripe for renewal.

Still, just as it was going into this year, promotion from Division Two next year should be expected and, in Law, Middlesex have a coach who will tolerate nothing less.