Australian men’s cricket team coach Justin Langer has called media reports that said his coaching style was wearing thin with some players is “a wake-up call” and he was not going to ignore it. He had earlier dismissed these reports, saying it “couldn’t be further from the truth”.
Last week, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Langer’s style of coaching and “micro-management” left some players unhappy and they are “drained by his intensity and mood swings”. The newspaper cited unnamed sources that said there was a rift between the coach and players following the home team’s 2-1 defeat in the Test series against India.
“I’m not going to ignore this… absolutely, it’s a wake-up call,” Langer told ESPNcricinfo.
“Whenever I finish this coaching career I hope I’m still calling myself a novice. I’ll see this criticism as a great gift in a few weeks or months.
“My greatest mentors in life are the people who told me the truth and were toughest on me… I’ve always needed that honest feedback. I might not enjoy it at the time, but it’s so, so valuable.”
Former captain Michael Clarke had voiced his concerns over players approaching the media instead of addressing the problems in the dressing room, adding that this practice would cause “chaos”.
Clarke further said that it was a “weak” act.
“This behind closed doors and going to a journalist, source said is very weak,” Clarke said on NSW’s Big Sports Breakfast. “I hope it’s just a story creating a headline and a player hasn’t gone behind Lang’s back.”
“Go and speak to JL and speak to the senior players. A lot of the time it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. I still think you can find a way to have that conversation,” Clarke added.
Langer, too, echoed Clarke’s argument and said on the Cricket Et Cetera podcast that he hoped his players would talk to him about issues.
“Do I get grumpy sometimes? Yeah. I’m not perfect, that’s for sure, but I’m pretty good at some of the things I do. I would rather they came straight to me, that’s the Australian way... let’s talk through it and work things out.”
