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Former Australia head coach Justin Langer has refuted claims that he was in a conflict with current Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins following his strong claims that he was betrayed by ‘cowards’ at Cricket Australia (CA).
In a widely-publicised interview with the Backchat podcast, the former Australia opener indicated he felt let down by senior players such as Pat Cummins and Aaron Finch, which eventually led him to step down as head coach.
He used the word ‘cowards’ for those who leaked inside information about the Australian team and himself towards the end of his tenure as coach.
His comments did not go well with Cricket Australia’s chief executive, Nick Hockley, who backed the Australian players saying that Langer had received formal and informed feedback regarding his rigorous coaching methods.
Some seniors in the side were reportedly not happy with Langer’s micromanagement of the team and things came to a head on a couple of occasions during the final 12 months of his contract.
Langer had quit days before the team’s scheduled departure for the historic Test series against Pakistan earlier this year after CA just gave him a six-month contract extension.
However, In a latest statement, Langer has clarified that the rumours of his rift with Cummins are “utter rubbish” and he shares an amicable bond with the Australian players.
“Ironically, I spoke to Patty (Cummins) on Monday; we had a long talk about how the team was going, how he’s going, how his family’s going. And some of this rubbish is complete and utter rubbish,” Langer told Channel 7 News Perth, according to a report in Daily Mail.
“I’ve got so much respect for Patty Cummins, I think he’s a brilliant player, I think he’s an outstanding human being. So any thought there’s war between Patty and I could not be further from the truth.”
Langer had earlier said in a podcast which raised quite a storm, that, “I spoke to Pat Cummins. He said to me about five times, ‘This might be brutally honest’. I said, ‘Pat, there is nothing brutal about your feedback. What is brutal is I’m hearing it behind my back through the media or through sources. No one’s telling me. Tell me’.
“Everyone was being nice to my face but I was reading about this stuff. A lot of journalists use the word ‘source’. I would say, change that word to ‘coward’. A coward says, not a source. Because what do you mean a source says? They’ve either got an axe to grind with someone and they won’t come and say it to your face, or they’re just leaking stuff for their own agenda,” Langer had said in the podcast.
However, Langer clarified on Channel 7 that the word “coward” was taken out of context.
“There was sort of talk about relating the word coward with Pat Cummins. If you listen to the podcast, I was actually praising Pat (Cummins), I was praising (Aaron) Finchy, I was praising Tim Paine for giving me the feedback. I was actually complimenting them, not criticising them as it’s come out. It turns into a bushfire, what do you do?”
Langer further highlighted how much he enjoyed his role with the Australian team and that he cherishes those moments even today. He also elucidated his good relationship with the players since leaving the role.
“I’ve been in touch with these guys ever since I stopped being in the team and I can’t wait for the Test match to start next week, and the reason I can’t wait is I haven’t seen them. I haven’t seen the boys since I finished in February.
“I loved my four years of coaching Australia, it was brilliant. Didn’t end as I would’ve liked – that’s life, that’s the business, it’s a tough business. I’ve got fond memories. Those guys we’re talking about, I ate with them, I drank with them, I celebrated with them, we got through Covid together, we got through sandpaper together, we won the World Cup together, we won the Ashes together. They’re like my little brothers!” he concluded.
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