"They were like my sons": Justin Langer opens up about alleged fallout with Australian players

Justin Langer recently opened up about the alleged fallout with Australian players and said it broke his heart.

When Sandpaper-gate happened, Australia needed a coach to fix everything. Justin Langer was given the responsibility. In his four years stint, Langer brought the Australian team back to the top by retaining the Ashes in England, winning their maiden men's T20 World Cup, followed by another Ashes. When every single record was positive for the former cricketer-turned-coach, he was ousted as the head coach.

"Of course, it hurts. Every coach or captain would say the same thing," he told the Vaughany and Tuffers Cricket Club podcast.

"The hardest thing through the end of my time as coach was [reading] that I had fallen out with my players. That literally broke my heart," he said.

The reason given was that the players believed they needed a much calmer head, and Langer intense. He added that he kept reading that narrative, but none of them came out publicly. 

"To this day. I saw them all this week, I saw them all summer. They are like your sons. I had four years with them, like sons. And then I kept reading that I had fallen out with my players. But nothing ever came out publicly, but I kept reading that, this narrative. That hurt me the most. I love my players, and I still do," he said in the podcast. He also added that he wanted to know how this narrative began. 

As a head coach, you can’t please everyone: Justin Langer

Justin Langer also added that the narrative spread like a bushfire and he knew that as a head coach, he cannot please everyone. 

“It became a bushfire, and you cannot put it out. That was the killer. As a head coach, you can’t please everyone. That’s life. It’s like being a dad, you can’t please everyone. That first phone call probably came nearly three years ago.”

Langer might have had a fallout with the Australian players but he added that watching Australia becoming the World Test Champions, he felt complete. 

"That was 18 months ago I finished. Life has moved on. The boys are playing well. I love Australian cricket. I’ve never been happier," he said.

He also spoke about how he is glad that he is not the coach at the moment. He believes that it would've been a headache to make the selection call. 

'Pat Cummins keeps it calm'

Justin Langer appreciated Pat Cummins for being the calm head, which Australia will need in the Men's Ashes.

“Pat Cummins’ approach is really relaxed. As a fast bowler, he understands the pressure the fast bowlers are under, and they love playing for him. He is nice, chilled, and keeps it calm. That’s their best approach. It’s going to be a storm, because of the length of the England batting line-up. There will be moments where it’s a storm, but it’s about staying in the eye and staying calm."

'Test cricket lifts the whole country': Justin Langer

Langer believes that franchise cricket can lift only a state but Test cricket can lift the whole country. 

“Look at the World Test Championship final, and the difference between that and franchise cricket. It lifts the whole country or deflates the whole country. Imagine the Ashes this week. Test cricket lifts the whole country.”

Men's Ashes will begin on 16th June, and the 1st Test will be played at Edgbaston.