Cricket chiefs and senior players in secret talks over coach Justin Langer

Cricket Australia’s chairman and chief executive met with senior players on Wednesday to solve coaching issue ahead of Ashes and World Cup.

Australian coach Justin Langer, right, with Test captain Tim Paine

Chairman Earl Eddings and chief executive Nick Hockley have intervened directly in the tensions between coach Justin Langer and players.

The two powerbrokers met with the leadership group via a phone hook-up on Wednesday night. It is understood they told them it was time for some adult conversations between players who have been making their discontent known behind the scenes and the highly respected but volatile coach.

The goal is to ensure that the ill will of recent times is dealt with before the World Cup and the Ashes with the organisation determined that Langer will see out his contract, which expires next year.

Secrecy surrounds the phone hook-ups, but The Australian was told that the initial rounds have not included Langer.

Sources said the players and Langer had responded “magnificently” since the call and some frank, but productive conversations are taking place.

The players and Langer had confronted each other recently with feedback via a performance review and Langer had promised to work on a more positive approach around the team.

The meeting on the Gold Coast was facilitated by a consultant and followed tensions during the India series as players and coaches lived in close proximity without escape for months.

There is understood to be no plans to bring in a consultant this time with Cricket Australia confident this can be settled through frank talks.

Langer was, by all reports, controlled and calm on the recent tours of West Indies and Bangladesh, but a minor incident in the breakfast room sparked another round of condemnation and chatter.

The coaches and squad from those tours had been enduring a hard quarantine in Adelaide after the South Australian government backflipped on a deal to allow them to train and isolate at the same time.

The move did nothing to help the mood after losses in both T20 series, which culminated in one of Australia’s poorest performances in the last match against Bangladesh.

Nine members of the squad missed selection in the outfit named on Thursday for October’s T20 World Cup, but everybody’s mood will have been lifted by news that they could begin to train on Thursday after receiving an exemption from the state government.

Chief selector George Bailey defended the coach and said players needed to take some responsibility.

“Let’s not put this all on Justin, as a group if you look back over the last 12 months I don’t think the Australian cricket team, the T20 team or all formats, I don’t think we’ve quite played the best cricket or as good as we could have, we are constantly looking to get better on that front.

“JL took over at a pretty challenging period of time and since then there’s been a lot of permutations and change happen with the group and there’s no doubt that’s one of the reasons you periodically do full reviews of your set-up.

“There’s some new additions to that coaching staff that I think will be fantastic for the Australian cricket team, not only some great cricketing brains, but good leaders and coaches of people, so I don’t know how often we have to keep harping on that.”

Bailey lauded Langer’s achievement in rebuilding Australian cricket.

“Regardless of everything that has been said and written, the amount of respect JL has for what he has done and what he is continuing to try and do with cricket in general and with this team has been huge,” the 2013-14 Ashes star said.

“There’s no doubt there’s been a few blunders over the past 12 months but lets be realistic, there’s been some challenges encompassing that around travel and the tours and some of the results as well.

“I don’t think this is unique to JL, I think its most industries, certainly in high-performance in any organisation. Not just Justin, Aaron (Finch), Tim (Paine), all the leaders, all the staff are trying to improve and get better. Whether that is on the back of winning series or losing series there’s a culture of constant improvement.”

On Wednesday, Hockley put out a statement supporting Langer.

“Justin (Langer) has done an incredible job in raising the culture, values and behaviours of the Australian men’s team since he took on the role in 2018. His efforts have restored public faith in the national team which is a side all Australian’s can be incredibly proud of,” he said.

“He is contracted as head coach through to the middle of next year with the focus now on a successful T20 World Cup campaign followed by the home Ashes defence in what is one of the most anticipated series and summers of cricket in Australia for many years.

“Like many in the community and around the world the team has had an extremely disruptive and challenging 18 months during the pandemic. Despite those challenges the side has had great success in one-day, Test and T20 cricket, when all players were available.

“Justin, his coaching staff and the leaders within the team have an equally important part to play in ensuring a successful summer ahead for the Australian cricket team.”