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The rivalry between the Australian and English cricket teams extends beyond the cricket grounds. Cricketers from both nations, who retired long ago, still maintain the illustrious feud. When Justin Langer was asked whether he had any proposals to join England as the head coach, the former cricketer said that his wife would have divorced him if he had become the head coach of the England National Cricket Team.
Justin Langer was rumoured to become England's Test team head coach as the replacement for Brendon McCullum. At the end of the day, proving all the rumours wrong, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) appointed Stephen Fleming as their head coach. Fleming's appointment came with much relief for Langer as well, as he would have been under immense pressure from his family and friends if he had joined the rivals' camp.
Justin Langer says 'no' to England cricket team's head coach role
During a discussion session in Mackay, journalist Tom Morris asked Justin Langer, "Are you asked to coach England at all?" With a big 'no', the former cricketer said he would have to face some consequences in his personal life if he went to coach England.
Ricky Ponting, former Australia captain, was also part of the conversation, gave a cheeky smile to Langer and said, "Don't worry".
I would have been divorced: Justin Langer said when he was asked about any connection with the England cricket team
Langer knew that there were a lot of untold words behind Ponting's cheeky smile. So he expertly ignored Ponting's 'don't worry' statement and further said that even his daughter would have created distance if there was any connection between him and the England cricket team.
"I would have been divorced literally from my wife and my daughters, but also from Ricky and Hados and all my other mates. So, no, it's a big job," Langer continued.
Going back to professional ethics, Langer mentioned that ECB's decision to appoint Stephen Fleming could be a fruitful call as the former New Zealand skipper has significant experience in coaching. For more than a decade, Fleming was the head coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and helped the team earn five IPL titles.
Justin Langer praised the ECB for appointing Stephen Fleming as their Test team's head coach
Only a few days after Fleming's exit from CSK, the ECB grabbed him as their next head coach. With Fleming as the coach, the Three Lions started their new chapter in Test cricket through a dominating win over Pakistan in Leeds. Langer believes Stephen and the England cricket team together can fetch good results in the longest format of the game.
"It's a big project for, I think, Stephen Fleming. I think it was just perfect timing. Stephen Fleming had come out of Chennai, and they saw the opportunity to grab hold of Stephen Fleming. He'll be calm. He's got a great cricket mind," Langer said.
Justin Langer's response on whether he'd been asked to be England coach 😂 pic.twitter.com/iUiC4P9csw
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) August 23, 2026
