Langer to keep his crew on tight leash
JUSTIN Langer’s Australian team won’t be muzzled but modified behaviour will be a key plank of the new coach’s mantra as he looks to build good citizens as well as great cricketers.
The former Test opener was handed a four-year term as national coach by the Cricket Australia board on Wednesday night, replacing Darren Lehmann, and used his first day in charge to outline his ambitions for a team that has lost its way.
Langer said he couldn’t wait to “roll up his sleeves” with duties to begin on May 22, when he takes charge of a new-look one-day outfit just before it heads to England.
He’ll likely have a new captain, but endorsed Test skipper Tim Paine as the perfect man for the red-ball job right now. Langer will also impart a host of new philosophies to all Australian players who will get busy trying to “earn respect” both on and off the field.
“To me respect is worth more than all the gold in the world,” Langer said yesterday while preaching the ethos of “elite mateship” as a way to earn that respect from teammates, peers and the country as a whole.
“If we can encourage great cricketers and great Australians … starting from day one, I think that’s a really important foundation for us.
“It’s not just about how we play our cricket.”
But they will still play “hard”, which means no outright ban on sledging, despite the trouble it has caused the team in recent years which has creates a distaste among the cricket-loving public.
“We modify our behaviours a bit so that it’s not angry or not over aggressive but we’re still aggressive in the mindset that we play with the bat and the ball,” Langer said.
“We know all know what the acceptable behaviours are. There’s a difference between the competitiveness and aggression and we have to be careful with that.”
Langer was endorsed not just by the board, but also by a host of former teammates as he takes control of the national team in all three forms of the game.