I'm Meant To Be The Tough Guy, But It Hurts - Justin Langer On Media Reports Over Players Not Happy With His Coaching Style

Head coach of the Australian cricket team, Justin Langer has opened up on the media leaks stating that some players are not happy with his high intensity ‘micro management’ coaching style and ‘mood swings’.

The report in the Sydney Morning Herald also added that the head coach is less approachable, and so the players turn to assistant coach, Andrew McDonald. Such rumours or leaks were bound to come in the aftermath of the home series loss to a not-first-choice Indian team.

Justin Langer says that if there is anything more agonizing than the travel or the packed schedule for an individual in the teams is such rumours and the spotlight that comes with the scrutiny. And after the ‘Sandpaper Gate,’ there has been more than ever attention on the Australian team.

“I might sound like a sook here, but the biggest thing that will wear me down isn’t the travel, isn’t the game, isn’t the three formats, it is just the incredible spotlight you are always under. We’ve felt that the last few weeks. A lot of it was pretty rough, and that wears down my family as much as anything. I’m meant to be the tough guy, but it hurts,” Justin Langer said on Perth’s Sport.

If there was such an issue, players would have come and spoken to me: Justin Langer

The 50-year-old head coach says that if there were really such issues, which the report claims, then the players or the assistant coached involved would have sorted out with him directly, instead of speaking anonymously to the media. Langer says that though there are aspects he as a coach can improve upon, but he hasn’t changed his coaching method since he took the job.

“That’s the killer (learning about the discontent from media). I’ve talked for years about honest conversations, and the worst part about it all for me was it came out two weeks after the Test match; if there was such an issue, the players or the assistant coaches would have come and spoken to me.

“I honestly believe that whilst there are areas we can always improve, the only thing that’s really changed about me since I’ve been in this job, since I’ve been in the Western Australia (coaching job), is we lost a Test match. Nothing else has changed. I’ve been hopefully consistent for a really long time,” Langer further added.

Speaking of the Australian team, since they pulled out of the tour to South Africa due to covid reasons, they have to depend on the result of the ongoing series between India and England to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship.

Australia would be hoping for England to defeat India in the last remaining Test so that the series ends in a draw, otherwise, a victory or a draw in the final Test match will see Virat Kohli’s side go through to the final to face New Zealand.

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