Justin Langer rubbishes rift rumours with Australian players

Former Australian head coach Justin Langer caused a stir in the media after laying into the Australian players for not confronting him directly during his coaching stint. However, the former Australian opener has had a change of heart and has backtracked on his remarks, saying he shares a close bond with the Aussie players and has no bone to pick with them.

Langer had made the headlines earlier this week after labeling some of the Australian players as cowards, taking an indirect dig at current Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins. The ex-Aussie cricketer felt betrayed as the players expressed their discontent over his coaching style in the press instead of confronting him directly.

His comments did not go down 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. The 52-year-old has effectively put an end to the alleged rift with Cummins after revealing his amicable bond with the Australian players in a latest statement.

“Some of this is complete and utter rubbish. I have so much respect for Patty Cummins; he’s a brilliant player and an outstanding human being, so any thought that there is a war (between) us could not be further from the truth. If you listen to the podcast, I was actually praising Pat, Finchy, and Tim Paine for giving the feedback. Ironically, I spoke to Patty on Monday, and we had a long talk on how the team was going, how he’s going, and how his family’s going,” Langer said while speaking to Channel 7.

I loved my four years as coach of Australia: Langer

The former head coach guided Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup triumph last year but vacated the position after he was offered a four-month contract by the CA. He revealed that he has been in close contact with the players even after his departure earlier this year and loved every bit of his coaching stint.

“Two days before, I got birthday messages from all the boys. I’ve been in touch with all these boys ever since I left the team. I loved my four years as coach of Australia; it was brilliant; it didn’t end as I would have liked, but that’s life, that’s the business, and it’s a tough business,” Langer added.