Cricket Australia‘s frosty treatment of national coach Justin Langer is due to a belief that the repair job he was hired to do after the ball-tampering scandal is complete and the governing body is no longer interested in his services.
That view was voiced by former national captain and Cricket Australia director Mark Taylor, after a report surfaced claiming that Langer had been told he may have to reapply for his position.
Fox Sports has reported that Langer met secretly with Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley and head of performance Ben Oliver in Melbourne last Friday to discuss his future in the role.
READ MORE: Nadal’s ‘superhuman’ moment after five-hour epic
READ MORE: Nadal’s sharp response to claiming GOAT status
READ MORE: Chilling reason Olympic great feared being killed
And Langer, whose current contract will expire in June, reportedly reacted angrily when it was suggested that he may have to reapply.
The Fox Sports report states that Langer’s position was that he would not reapply and believed his record demanded a fresh contract spanning multiple years.
The Courier-Mail reported last week that Langer’s future could hinge on whether he would be willing to agree to a short-term deal.
When Taylor was prompted on the messy situation on 2GB’s Wide World of Sports radio, he drew attention back to the 2018 sandpaper drama.
“I suspect with Justin Langer that when he was given the job in 2018 on the back of what happened in Cape Town, it was seen at that time as, ‘OK, you’re the guy we need for now to bring back discipline into the side’,” Taylor said.
“And there’s a movement – maybe by the players, maybe by Cricket Australia themselves – that (the) job has been done, and it might be time for more of a man manager and less of an absolute cricket coach and disciplinarian.”
Langer’s hope of a new deal are shaky despite Australia’s T20 World Cup triumph in November and the 4-0 Ashes victory that wrapped up in January.
Captain Pat Cummins was asked about Langer’s future after Australia beat England by an innings at the MCG to retain the Ashes urn, but he didn’t endorse the coach in the Fox Cricket interview.
“I think we’ll savour this victory today and continue for the Ashes, and I don’t think today is the day to speculate on that,” Cummins said.
“I think we’ll sit down all together after this series, or whenever his tenure is up and his contract is up for renewal. In a few months we’ll visit that then.”
Langer’s time as national coach has been marred by dressing-room leaks pointing to extreme intensity and mood swings.
However, the former Test opener eased off in his style during the T20 World Cup and Ashes, giving assistant coaches Andrew McDonald and Michael Di Venuto more authority.
Taylor said he didn’t understand why Langer was reportedly told he may have to reapply, reasoning that Cricket Australia already knew his value.
“I don’t understand that, if that is the case. He had an issue … where his coaching style was criticised by the current players – and he’s seemed to have sorted that out,” Taylor said.
“I think the Australian cricket authorities would know the sort of coach they’re getting from Justin Langer. It’s an evolving coach … Obviously he’s getting better at it and the side is responding to it. So they know what they’re going to get from Langer.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!