Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne has expressed his disappointment at constant dressing room leaks involving coach Justin Langer, urging all involved to move forward.
It has been a tumultuous year for Australia’s men’s team, who kicked off 2021 with a stunning second consecutive Test series defeat to India, before being pummelled in recent T20 series in both the West Indies and Bangladesh.
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Each loss has been followed by leaks from the team’s inner sanctum regarding Langer’s coaching methods, leaks that have led to doubts over his suitability to the role.
Labuschagne, who is one of the major success stories of Langer’s tenure, didn’t deny the team had undergone some internal struggles, but urged the Aussie camp to focus on the common goal of retaining the Ashes against England this summer.
“It’s never nice when [a dressing room story] comes out like it has, so that’s not how we want to do it,” he said.
“But we want to make sure that we come together as a team and for those things that have come out, it’s been spoken about that it’s come to a head now and there’s been conversations had, and we can all move forward and have our focus on winning this World Cup and retaining the Ashes.”
Labuschagne said he had been in contact with Langer, adding that his coach was “doing very well” after returning home to reunite with his family after being abroad for a lengthy period.
The 27-year-old’s comments followed those of Langer himself, who spoke for the first time since he received a vote of confidence from Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley.
“We all got a lot off our chests,” Langer told the West Australian regarding a chat with his players. “I think we are all in a better place now.”
“The situation at the moment is very tough, but I am confident that I will become a better coach from it.
“When you win, everyone is happy and gets on with things but when you are losing, that is when the finger-pointing starts, and people look for excuses.
“We have had a rough trot in recent times but we retained the Ashes only a little while ago and were ranked No.1 in Test and T20 cricket not that long ago. Get back to winning and you won’t hear about anything else.”