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In a major turn of events, Justin Langer stepped down as the Australia's head coach which left the entire cricket world wondering as to why, despite Kangaroos triumph, the future of the 51-year-old remained uncertain which finally ended in his termination.
Langer's exit, which has now become the talk of the town, has posed serious question on Cricket Australia (CA). Following his departure, Langer has now broken his silence and cited the lack of support from several senior players and a couple of support staff.
“Last night I was offered a short-term contract until the end of the T20 World Cup in Australia, with the sentiment of ‘going out on a high’. After careful consideration, I have decided not to accept this contract renewal, and as a result, I believe it is in everyone’s best interests for the Australian cricket team to begin the next chapter immediately. If media reports are correct, several senior players and a couple of support staff don’t support me moving forward, and it is now apparent the CA board, and you Nick, are also keen to see the team move in another direction. I respect that decision,” he added.
The contract extension offered to Justin was the result of a thorough review process that evaluated many factors including future requirements of the team and the upcoming extensive schedule of fixtures. The extension was approved by the CA Board and was put to Justin last night. It included the opportunity to defend the T20 World Cup title in Australia at the end of this year.
“There has been a great deal of media speculation on my future as the Australian men’s cricket coach over the last 12 months and this has taken an enormous toll on my family. I hope through this time, and throughout my tenure, I have held myself with integrity and dignity,” Langer stated further in his resignation email.
Langer was appointed as the men’s team coach in 2018 after the Sandpaper Gate which saw David Warner, Steve Smith serving out one-year bans. Under Langer, Australia managed to win the T20 World Cup 2021 and then the Ashes.
“My life has been built on values of honesty, respect, trust, truth, and performance and if that comes across as ‘too intense’ at times, I apologize. It is said that in any venture, if you leave things in a better place than when you started then you have done your job,” he added.
Earlier, former Australia speedster Mitchell Johnson also lambasted CA for being spineless in handling Langer's case.
“(The CA board) not only lacked the spine to stand up to agitating players and tell them they weren’t in charge, but couldn’t summon the strength to dismiss Langer properly either,” Johnson, the country’s fifth-leading Test wicket-taker, had said.
“Instead, they insulted the coach with a pathetic and unprofessional short-term extension offer,” he had added.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting also couldn't hold himself from slamming CA. Couple of days before, he described Langer's resignation as "a sad day for Australian cricket" and called Cricket Australia's handling of it as "embarrassing".
"It is a really sad day as far as Australian cricket is concerned and if you look back it has been a really poor six months on the whole in the way that Cricket Australia has handled some of the better people in the Australian cricket - Justin Langer and Tim Paine - and I think it's been almost embarrassing the way they have handled those two cases," Ponting had said.
