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Former Australia cricketer Ian Healy has lashed out at Cricket Australia (CA) as the fear surrounding the future of head coach Justin Langer looms large. According to multiple reports in Australian media, CA is planning to not extend Langer's contract as he enters his final year. The current Australian coach has been in charge for the last four years and has a successful track record having won the Ashes and T20 World Cup. Healy believes that Langer is the right man to be at the helm and sacking him would be a 'stupid' decision.
“The coach is nowhere near as important as any major player, You can change the coach much easier than you can change a senior player,” Healy was quoted saying to Sen Radio.
“(However), the game is going to look stupid if they sack Justin Langer, but I don’t think they’ll sack him,” he added.
The former Australia cricketer was full of praise for the 51-year-old Langer, who took charge of the team after the Sandpaper Gate scandal in 2018. The Australian has a proven track record so far despite home failing to win the ODI World Cup in 2019 and home series losses to India.
“There might be a stalemate on those fronts, but let’s see what the reasons are," he added.
“He might be playing that side, (saying) he wants four years, and they (CA) are saying, ‘You can’t have four years, we’ll give you two and now we’ve bumped it up to three, will you accept that?” the 57-year-old questioned.
There have also been reports of a rift between the board and the coach as Langer was unhappy after he was asked to send a new application for the post. This made the former Australia opener unhappy with the situation.
“I don’t know which way (they voiced their feelings), but it seems like they’re not on board, or they weren’t, but from all reports, they got on board and they got winning again. “So, cricket will look stupid (if Langer doesn’t get renewed), the powerbrokers will look stupid that means,” Healy concluded.
Australia's Test captain Pat Cummins earlier suggested that Langer's future is not in his hands and put the ball in CA's court. The coach's future remains a hot topic in Australian media for now as the team prepares for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka, where they play five matches. This will then be followed by a big Pakistan tour, for which Langer will be available.
