Justin Langer was dumped as Australian cricket coach for ‘team unity’ after players staged a revolt, Cricket Australia has admitted.
The gritty Western Australia oversaw the rehabilitation of the Australian team following the Sandpapergate scandal in South Africa – restoring pride to the side and winning two Ashes series and the T20 World Cup within four years.
Langer resigned on Saturday, effective immediately, after being given an ‘insulting’ offer of a six-month extension.
CA chief executive Nick Hockley then repeatedly contradicted himself during the shock press conference where Langer’s fate was announced.
Cricket Australia’s decision to force Justin Langer out of the national team has been labelled ‘cowardly and disgraceful’ by one of his predecessors
He the board was ‘disappointed’ Langer didn’t accept the offer of a short extension and that he did a ‘fantastic’ job.
Hockley then said the board unanimously agreed to let the successful coach walk because there was a need to ‘transition’ away from the coach in the interests of ‘unity’ for the national team.
‘The decision to start a process of transition is what we believe is in the best interests of the men’s team for unity and future success,’ he said.
‘In the middle of last year, we did have some challenging conversations and some issues and I think credit to absolutely everybody throughout the national team set up for having some really robust and direct conversations.’
Hockley was also forced to deny the influence of the players in Langer’s resignation after a car crash interview with captain Pat Cummins where the fast bowler refused to pledge his support for the coach.
CA boss Nick Hockley repeatedly contradicted himself in a press conference on Saturday, saying Langer did a ‘fantastic’ job but also had created disunity
Hockley was also forced to deny the influence of the players in Langer’s resignation after a car crash interview with captain Pat Cummins (pictured left) where the fast bowler refused to pledge his support for the coach
Cummins was asked on Sunrise on Friday morning if he would want Langer to continue on at the helm, but the 28-year-old repeatedly dodged the question.
‘It isn’t my call, so I’m going to leave the speculation to one side. He has done fantastic,’ he said.
Host David Koch pressed Cummins on the issue, but he continued to offer tepid responses.
‘Come on, Pat. Cricket was in tatters three years ago, he took the reins, yes he’s a fairly intense guy, everyone in sport knows that and sometimes the intensity can be a bit wearing, but you’ve all got the success, why break up the team?’ Koch asked.
‘That’s 100 per cent fact, he’s been great, the results have been excellent especially the last six months,’ Cummins replied.
‘But it’s also fact we’re in a high-performance scenario where everyone gets evaluated all the time. His contract is up so they’re just running the process at the moment which I think is incredibly healthy and fair.’
Mitchell Johnson (pictured) has blasted Pat Cummins for his ‘failure’ in backing the former coach
Mitchell Johnson wrote a column in the West Australian supporting his former teammateon Sunday saying captain Cummins has ‘failed’ in his first test in the role.
Johnson pointed the finger squarely at the 28-year-old for refusing to have the back of Langer despite several public opportunities.
‘Pat Cummins has been lauded as some type of cricketing saint since his elevation to the top job this summer. Cummins might have delivered with the ball during the Ashes series, but he has failed his first big test as captain pretty miserably,’ Johnson wrote.
‘He had plenty of public opportunities to endorse an extension for Langer. So when he let it through to the keeper every time, it became pretty obvious he didn’t want it to happen.
‘Cummins holds a lot of power and must have been central to what’s happened. He’s clearly had an agenda to get in a coach he wants. His recent interviews have been gutless by not respecting his coach when he could have been upfront from the start.’
He went on to say the Australian team had ‘lost him’ as well as its supporters for their role in Langer’s resignation.
Langer has been widely supported by the international cricket community after leading Australia to two Ashes series wins and a T20 World Cup in less than four years
Legendary Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh posts a message of support for Langer on Instagram after he was forced out of the team by Cricket Australia
Hockley rejected a notion the players had too much power but admitted some were consulted before making their decision.
‘We certainly consulted Pat, we spoke to Aaron but we consulted much more broadly than that,’ he said.
‘The needs analysis and the requirements of the head coach have evolved and on that basis we felt it was time to start a transition process – hence the shorter term contract.’
Hockley’s answers did not satisfy legends of the game who called the treatment of the legendary opener ‘cowardly and disgraceful’.
Former Australian coach Mickey Arthur joined the chorus of high profile cricket figures supporting the ousted leader.
The South African, who had his own situation bungled by CA as he was sacked in the lead up to the 2013 Ashes series, ripped into cricket bosses.
‘Disgraceful way to treat a coach… offering six months is a slap in the face,’ he tweeted.
‘Either give him a proper extension or move on. By offering six months you effectively say you don’t want him but don’t have the balls to fire the bullet!’
Meanwhile former Australian coach Mickey Arthur labelled the treatment of Langer as ‘disgraceful’ as he joins the choir of high profile cricket figures supporting the West Australian
The gritty West Australia oversaw the rehabilitation of the Australian team following the Sandpapergate scandal in South Africa
Australia’s golden generation stars including Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden are adamant the current ‘precious’ playing group proved pivotal in Langer’s undoing.
Neil Maxwell’s influence in his dual roles as a director at Cricket NSW and as the manager of Test captain Pat Cummins has also been called into question.
With Cricket Australia only prepared to offered the gritty former opening batsman a six-month contract extension, Langer resigned on Saturday, effective immediately.
It was a puzzling decision from the CA board given Langer guided Australia to be T20 World Cup champions in 2021 as well as a 4-0 Ashes series triumph against England just 20 days ago.
Ponting was in disbelief at the treatment of Langer, labelling the situation ’embarrassing’.
‘Never in my time as a player did we, as a playing group, influence what a board was thinking as far as appointments,’ he told ABC Radio.
The powerful ‘NSW mafia’ which exists in Australian cricket is being blamed for the demise of Justin Langer (pictured) as men’s head coach
Current assistant coach Andrew McDonald (pictured) is said to be a favourite among the current squad
Ponting said he felt sorry for captain Pat Cummins, who raised eyebrows this week when he refused to publicly endorse Langer when he appeared on Seven’s Sunrise.
‘If it’s not just (Cummins), if there are other players that are coming to him to let him know that they feel Justin’s not the right man, then I think that puts Pat in a difficult position,’ he said.
Hayden went a step further, saying whoever is eventually appointed as his great mate’s replacement as head coach will need plenty of luck on their side.
‘I’m just disappointed because I feel there has been this undermining of him (Langer) for some time,’ he told News Corp.
‘If there is a better person out there, good luck. I am left with a great big sense of confusion and disappointment about why he is not being heralded by his players and captain.’
The likes of Mitchell Johnson, former skipper Steve Waugh, Damien Martyn and Brad Hogg also expressed their disappointment at the news on social media.
Langer’s former assistants, former all-rounder Andrew McDonald and Michael Di Venuto reportedly have the backing of the current playing group to take over due to their relaxed nature.
An external review last year had put the coach’s contract into question after it found players thought Langer’s coaching style overly harsh
Langer took over the national coaching position from Darren Lehmann (pictured, centre) in 2018 following the ball-tampering controversy in South Africa
Australian Test great Mitchell Johnson (pictured) said he was ‘angry’ and ‘disappointed’ to learn of Langer’s resignation
McDonald will be the interim coach for the upcoming tour of Pakistan, with ex-English coach Trevor Bayliss also said to be strongly in the mix due to his strong rapport with a number of players.
On Saturday afternoon amid mounting criticism, CA boss Nick Hockley backed the decision from the board not to retain Langer long term.
‘He (Langer) has done a fantastic job… but we looked at the needs of the team… they have evolved,’ he said.
‘The process has been thorough and in the best interests of Australian cricket… not all the decisions we make are always popular.
‘(We feel) it is time for a period of transition and we are confident of continued success.’
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