Selection room in Zoom

JUSTIN Langer admits he can envisage the Australian team being selected on Zoom as he vowed to roll his sleeves up in response to cuts to his support staff.

The Australian coach said advising batting coach Graeme Hick on Wednesday that he had been made redundant was one of the toughest experiences of his career in cricket.

Langer said the touring party that travelled with the

Australian team on the road would shrink in size, but declared it would not compromise on support, expectation or performance.

One huge change may be that players could have their international futures decided on Zoom.

For decades, one of the staples of Australian Test cricket has been the presence of a specialist selector on tour. But Langer said that in the post COVID-19 era, it was possible national selectors Trevor

Hohns and George Bailey might meet to help him pick teams from the other side of the world via video link. Langer said it could work. “If you’d have asked me 12 weeks or 10 weeks ago, I’d have thought it’s nice to have a selector around or other people. For the players, it’s nice to see some other selectors around at times,” said Langer.

“But look at the way that these technology platforms (connect) and the fact that we are doing this now (press conference via Zoom) — I’m sure there’s going to be scope for using a lot more of this technology to make these decisions, to talk to the captain, to talk to the senior players and that’ll be a part of it.”

Langer said the make-up of how the teams would be selected was still being worked through by high performance chief Ben Oliver.

“I haven’t spoken to Ben about how the selection stuff will work yet. No doubt we’ll work on that. I’m assuming he’s caught up with Trevor Hohns and George Bailey. I know he had conversations with them yesterday,” he said.

“I think there’ll be more indepth conversations to work through actually how this is going to work. So, we’re aware of it now and now it’s to do our job, to get creative and work out how it’s best going to work for the organisation and for the team.”

Langer has been forced to work part-time since April 16, but said he would not criticise

Kevin Roberts over his decision to stand down staff at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.

Langer said he’s been rocked by the demise of Roberts and the redundancy of former England international Hick — news he had to deliver by phone on Wednesday.

“It’s been a tough few days actually, that’s the truth of it. Having to tell Hicky yesterday morning was like facing Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh without a helmet and a box on,” said Langer.