How Justin Langer has helped rebuild the Australian cricket team
There was never going to be a quick fix, but after absorbing some early punishment, Justin Langer’s record is slowly but surely rising to mirror that of the other great rebuild in Australian cricket history.
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Australia’s black-belt cricket coach is finally in the black where it really matters … on the win-loss sheet.
Justin Langer now has a winning record in all three formats of the game and the immense heavy lifting he has done to turn Australian cricket around has him tracking in the same trajectory as his first national coach and great early influence, Bob Simpson.
From the rabble of the ball-tampering crisis, everything was more bad than good for nearly 12 months after Langer took the reins with Australian cricket in ruins around him.
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There was never going to be a quick fix, but after absorbing some early punishment, Langer’s record is slowly but surely rising to mirror that of the other great rebuild in Australian cricket history – the one performed by Simpson himself in the late 1980s.
After last year’s chastening summer of pain without David Warner and Steve Smith, Langer – a black belt in karate – was nursing a sorry balance sheet in the red of 20 losses and just 12 wins from his first 35 games at the helm.
But since March 2 when Australia turned their fortunes around with a stunning ODI upset over world No.1s India in India, Langer’s side has won 24 of their past 33 matches, for just seven losses.
Former teammate Michael Clarke says Langer’s ability to be human and admit error has been central to an epic revival which has featured an Ashes triumph on English soil and a World Cup semi-final berth.
“He’s brought his style to the team,” Clarke said.
“I think Lang was always one of the hardest workers and I think his expectation as a player is no different as a coach.
“He wants his players to work hard.
“He never shied away as a player from putting his hand up when he made a mistake or didn’t perform and I think he’s done that as well as a coach.
“He’s happy to take responsibility and accountability.
“I think Lang has been very true to who he is and what his values are as a person, and it seems to me that the team have the upmost respect for him and they’re working well together.”
Simpson was so scathing when asked to review Australian cricket in the mid-1980s, he was quickly appointed national coach.
A year later, out of nowhere, Australia were World Cup champions.
Simpson – considered by many to be Australia’s greatest ever coach – was one of Langer’s first mentors, and a man who taught him what teaching and discipline was all about.
Just as some Australian players struggled at first with Simpson’s authoritarian approach.
Langer’s intensity also represented a major shift for Australia’s current group when he took over from Darren Lehmann, with the game at rock bottom and head office experiencing its culture crisis.
Vice-captain Pat Cummins says Langer’s most prominent trait is his loyalty – and believes the coach’s dedication to his players – for example Marnus Labuschagne – has ultimately inspired the turnaround.
“The team that he’s built now (shows the benefit of) sticking by players who are constantly trying to get better. Him backing them in has shown the way,” said Cummins, who like Clarke was speaking at an event promoting watch manufacturing giant, Hublot.
“He himself is just about constant improvement. He’s always trying to better himself and improve each day and I think that’s flowed into us players.
“He gives you clarity when you wake up and you go to training every day.
“You’ve seen such big improvement in some players (because as a player) you know it’s going to pay off and he’s going to stick with you if you stick to that plan.
“He’s instilled in all the players a desire to learn all the time.”
Originally published as How Justin Langer has helped rebuild the Australian cricket team