Justin Langer decision should have been made long ago: Mark Taylor

Former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor says Cricket Australia should have backed or sacked Justin Langer long ago.

Justin Langer at the Big Bash League final last week in Melbourne Picture: Getty Images

Former Australian captain Mark Taylor says he could understand if Cricket Australia had made the decision to move on from Justin Langer, but believes the situation has been handled poorly.

If he was to go he should have been told by now, Taylor said.

Few would argue with that. Australian cricket should be celebrating recent successes but is tearing itself apart over Langer’s future, which should be signed off by the board on Friday but should have been dealt with long ago.

Many would have walked away in disgust by now, but Langer has rarely taken that path in his life.

Players have indicated they would prefer a fresh start, but reports from a meeting with chief executive Nick Hockley and executive manager of teams Ben Oliver claimed there were discussions around how long the coach’s contract would be extended.

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Langer feels abandoned on two fronts, meanwhile the players feel they are not being listened to and various camps around the game are muttering conspiracy theories about strategic leaks, disappointment and deceptions.

The coach’s future has been the subject of debate for 12 months and was the cause of crisis talks between team leaders and Australian cricket chiefs in August.

Taylor, who has served on the board, said he had no idea what would be decided but the process has left a lot to be desired.

“If they are going to move on I’ve got no problem with that as much as I think Justin Langer has done a fine job,” Taylor said on radio. “If they want to move on to a new coach you do that and do it the right way by looking after Justin Langer, there’s too much being said in the media which has been the case now for five or six or seven years.

“Cricket Australia need to first and foremost look after Justin Langer here, and make sure they look after the side at the same time.”

Assistant coach Andrew McDonald is the man most likely to step into Langer’s shoes – at least in the short term – although there has been speculation that former England coach Trevor Bayliss could be considered.

Taylor indicated the speculation was not good for cricket or Langer who has been a great servant of the game.

“He’s taken over the side when things were tough and things weren’t going quite as well, so to me they should have cleared the air before all this as now speculation has come into it, because now there’s people like me and yourselves in there not sure what’s going on behind the scenes,” he said. “And it’s worrying, because we know Justin Langer very well – 104 or 105 Test match veteran, just got into the Hall of Fame, and now he’s sort of no guarantee of being our coach?

Former Australian cricket captain and board member Mark Taylor Picture: David Swift

“That’s what brought about a lot of speculation, I think it could have been avoided had Cricket Australia been a little more clear with their messaging.

“They either wanted to keep him and sign him up or said ‘mate we’ve got other options, we want to move on, let’s do it’, and we should have done that probably a month ago. But unfortunately, that’s not happened.”

In the August meeting with Pat Cummins, Tim Paine and Aaron Finch the then chair of CA, Earl Eddings, made it clear he had Langer’s back and told the players they needed to clear the air with the coach, which they did.

Things change quickly at board level, as Paine discovered, but this Friday cricket will learn whether the board is still of that mind.

The Langer decision will affect the relationship between the players and CA as the game heads towards new collective bargaining and broadcast deals.

The game cannot afford the ugliness of the 2016-17 mess that had all professional players off contract and relationships between the two groups almost irreparably strained.

The passing of time, changing of guard and a concerted effort by the chief executives of the Australian Cricketers Association and CA had created improvements but things are heading south again.

Should CA choose to extend Langer’s contract senior players will get on with it but will see it as another indication that when push comes to shove the administration does not have its back.

The players are still upset over Paine’s treatment and reached out to him repeatedly over the summer but the captain who fell on his sword was still struggling and still needs to keep a distance between himself and the life that was lost.

On the other hand, as Taylor said, it will be difficult for people to understand why Langer must go.

“There’s too many ifs now and not enough ‘this is what’s going to happen’. First and foremost look after the incumbent and a legend of the game in Justin Langer and then announce the other coach – if that’s what’s going to happen.”