The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
New coach Langer aims to regain respect of the Australian public
The new head coach of Australia’s men’s cricket team has vowed to earn back the public’s respect for the national side after it was embroiled in a ball-tampering scandal.
Justin Langer, who played for Perthshire in the 1990s before becoming a star of the world game, also said he would welcome back disgraced players Steve Smith, Cameron Bancroft and David Warner after their suspensions if they were “willing to meet the standards of Australian cricket”.
The former opening batsman was announced as Darren Lehmann’s successor yesterday and will begin a four-year term in the job on May 22.
Lehmann stepped down from the role in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March, which also led to the suspension of skipper Smith, vice-captain Warner and batsman Bancroft.
At his first press conference since being unveiled as the new coach, Langer said his focus would be on earning back respect for the team both on and off the field.
“To me that’s worth more than all the gold in the world,” he said. “We look to encourage great cricketers but also great Australians and great citizens. Over the next four years, starting from day one, that’s really important.
“The public will be disappointed if we don’t play good, hard, competitive cricket, but that said, we can also modify our behaviours so it’s not angry or overly aggressive.
“There’s a difference between competitiveness and aggression, and we have to be careful about that.”
Former England batsman Jonathan Trott will retire at the end of the season, his club Warwickshire has announced.
The 37-year-old joined the county in 2002, notching a century on his first-class debut in 2003. Trott helped England claim Ashes series victories in 2009, 2011 and 2013.
Stress and mental health problems forced Trott to take two breaks from cricket, in 2013 and 2014.
But he still recorded nine Test centuries, and boasts 17,750 first-class runs.