How Australia coach Justin Langer has been touched by coronavirus at home and in life beyond cricket
Justin Langer is living under strict stay-at-home orders as the coronavirus carnage decimates all sport, but it hasn’t stopped the Australian coach being personally impacted. FIND OUT WHY.
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Cricket is seen as the sport that has been insulated from the coronavirus, but Justin Langer has felt the pain in a very different way.
The Australian coach has revealed three of his four daughters have all lost their jobs, and he has also been personally floored by the impact on people’s lives in his role as a West Coast Eagles board member.
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Langer said, in a funny sort of way, the strict orders to stay at home resembles a kind of “Nirvana” for Australian cricketers who are used to living their lives out of a suitcase on the road.
However, unless the crisis is brought under control, cricket is bracing for its own Armageddon.
CA officials have been briefed to check up regularly on the mental health of players living alone, with Langer now all too familiar with how tough people are doing it.
“I’ve got four daughters at home and three of them have lost their jobs,” said Langer.
“… It’s certainly been a great eye opener. Wow.
“That’s why in cricket, none of us can sit on our hands and think ‘we’ve got this time.’
“Yeah we’re really fortunate (with the timing so far)… but if worse comes to worse and we lose a cricket season obviously we’ll learn lessons from the other codes living through it now.
“My role on the board of the West Coast Eagles has been an incredible personal and professional opportunity for me … and in times like this you get to see some of the best corporate minds talking about how you get through these tough situations.
“It’s a great eye opener to me, how careful we have to be. Talk about being prepared for rainy days. This is certainly more than a rainy day. Whether it’s a footy club or my daughters all losing their jobs … I have great empathy for so many people going through this tough time.”
Cricket could be decimated itself if October’s World Cup was cancelled or the blockbuster home summer against India was impacted.
But should the lights come back on and the World Cup go ahead, Langer is adamant his Australian team will be well prepared, even if there’s likely to be international series being cancelled in the lead-up as the virus continues to hijack the world.
“I think we have one or two positions in our World Cup side up for grabs. It’s a very, very settled team,” said Langer.
“In terms of selection, I’m not too stressed about it … I’m sure when the time is right, we’ll get in the match practice leading into the World Cup.
“Whether it’s through a (rescheduled) IPL, or England (The Hundred), or lead-up games, the most important part will be for us to get match practice and we’ll make sure we either manufacture it or we’ll have plenty of that if the crisis slows down quicker than we think.”
Langer said CA was on high alert for the mental health of players being impacted while locked in doors, but is encouraging his team to recognise the silver lining of being able to enjoy the simple pleasures of being at home.
The coach is himself planning to resort to his normal off-season ‘hippy’ routine of growing a beard and not wearing shoes.
“We talked about (mental health) in a conference call yesterday. Particularly for any of our staff or players who are home alone. We want to keep an eye on those guys and girls and make sure they’re OK,” he said.
“Hopefully being around their families and having a rest from the pressure of the games will have an impact.
“The truth is for me personally and for all the players, this is like Nirvana in the fact we’re home with our families, we sleep in our own beds, we eat home cooked dinners and we can still work in one degree or another from home.”