Essex cricket captain Ronnie Irani planned a showdown today (Tuesday) with his outspoken overseas star Stuart Law.

Irani and Essex head coach Keith Fletcher were due to meet the Australian for clear-the-air talks following his stinging attack on the county and his team-mates, brought to you first in Friday's Evening Gazette and on This Is Essex.

Irani said: "Stuart Law is a key member of our side and we are going to have it out with him and ask him to outline his problems.

"Stuart is our overseas player, a senior player who should be backing us and a player the younger members of our squad should look up to.

"We have to resolve his problems quickly and get the best out of him for what is a massive second half of the season for us.

"That task is going to be tough enough without him for the next couple of weeks and without Nasser Hussain, who is involved with England for most of the season."

Law is currently sidelined by a broken finger suffered in the recent floodlit National League defeat by Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Irani added: "Stuart clearly isn't happy with things, but I was very disappointed he went public and chose to air his grievances in the Press rather than speaking to me or Fletch."

The 32-year-old Queensland batsman, currently in his sixth season with Essex, spoke of:

A bust-up in the dressing room

Knives being plunged in his back

A lack of team spirit

An alleged lack of respect for him

The club's failure to open early contract talks with him.

Irani said: "Every dressing room has its bust-ups occasionally when tensions get the better of them, but they are par for the course and are usually forgotten as quickly as they surface.

"As far as I as captain and the rest of the team are concerned there is no problem with team spirit.

"We are, after all, bottom of one table and third from bottom in another. No-one is exactly singing and dancing about the position we find ourselves in.

"As far as new contracts are concerned, we've offered Stuart a new one every year, what more can we do? Stuart is an outstanding player who boasts a fantastic record on the pitch.

"He's probably the greatest batsman I've ever played with, right up there alongside Goochie (Graham Gooch), and he would surely be happier doing what he does best - scoring lots of runs out in the middle for us."

Stuart Law - headed for showdown with Irani

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