Stuart Law
A cricketer whose staggering first-class run tally defines him as one of the game's greatest players never to secure a permanent Test spot for Australia.
Born 1968 (age 58)·Australian cricketer·Birthday: October 18·Generation X
Biography
Stuart Law's career is the ultimate 'what if' story of Australian cricket. Possessing an elegant, compact batting technique and a fierce competitive drive, he dominated the domestic Sheffield Shield for Queensland, piling up mountains of runs. Yet, he found himself trapped in the golden era of Australian batting, with a middle order so formidable that his single Test match appearance in 1995 lasted just minutes at the crease. Undeterred, he carved out a monumental legacy as a county cricket titan in England, particularly with Essex and Lancashire, becoming one of only a handful of players to surpass 25,000 first-class runs. This prolific output cemented his reputation as a consummate professional. After retiring, he smoothly transitioned into coaching, lending his tactical acumen to teams across the world, from the West Indies to Bangladesh, and now guides Nepal's national side, imparting hard-won wisdom to a new generation.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Stuart was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Stuart Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Stuart's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Scored 27,080 first-class runs at an average of 50.52, one of the highest aggregates in the modern era.
- Captained Queensland to their first-ever Sheffield Shield title in the 1994-95 season.
- Was a member of the Australian squad that reached the final of the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
- Served as the head coach of the West Indies men's cricket team from 2017 to 2019.
Did You Know?
He holds the record for the most runs in a single Sheffield Shield season (1,115 in 1998-99).
His only Test innings for Australia lasted three balls; he was run out for 54 not out.
He played a single One Day International for Australia, scoring 3 runs.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to cricket.
“I scored 50 first-class centuries, but my Test average is 27. That's just the way it went.”
