Langer brings grit, manners, faith
Langer is back at Lord’s today where the cream stains have been wiped off the wall. Older and wiser at 47, and a hugely respected figure, Langer will talk about how he intends to drive the Australian team forward as their new head coach, starting with the five-match one-day international series against England.
Langer has a strong faith, a large collection of rosary beads and constantly drives players to better themselves. He meditates every morning, is a voracious reader, swims and runs every day, and loves martial arts. He is far removed from the old school, beer-drinking Lehmann.
‘‘He will want people to buy into this: better people first, great cricketers second. And that is where he will start,’’ said Cristina Matthews, the Waca chief executive.
He left his mark on county cricket, even if his time at Middlesex did not work out. Cristina Matthews, Waca boss, on Justin Langer, right
Andrew Strauss later admitted that was because county cricketers ‘‘tended to shun hard work and commitment’’.
He had better times at Somerset, a smaller club where Langer did not meet the same ingrained attitudes. ‘‘I remember going out to bat with him and he was on 300-and-something not out and he came down the wicket and stared me down, like he was going to fight me in a nightclub, and said, ‘the job is not done yet’,’’ says Peter Trego, the Somerset allrounder.
‘‘I was like, ‘This test match legend is 300-odd and he is still absolutely ferociously engaged in the game’. I realised this guy was a different breed to anything I had ever experienced.’’
The questions at Lord’s will be dominated by how Langer will change the culture of Australian cricket while still maintaining their hard edge.
‘‘Justin is a quality human being and he won’t allow insulting behaviour. Not just rude behaviour, worse than rude behaviour. Nor will he allow cheating. Manners matter.
‘‘You can be as hard as you like but if you don’t have manners, what is it all about? That would be Justin’s sort of outlook, too,’’ says Nigel Wray, the Saracens owner who has known Langer since he was a teenager.
During the ball-tampering saga, previous coach Lehmann suggested his team could change and be the nice guys of world cricket. Will that happen under Langer?
‘‘It would be a travesty if Australia suddenly turned into a bunch of pleasant blokes on the cricket field,’’ said Trego.
‘‘I don’t think anyone wants that, but a couple of people have carried on in a way that is not acceptable. The game will be played hard under JL but also fairly.’’