Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins has broken his silence on why coach Justin Langer (JL) was not offered another long-term contract, despite his success in taking the team to T2O World Cup and Ashes victories.
Since Langer’s resignation on Saturday, Cummins has come under fire for not supporting his coach and for the possible role he might have played in Langer’s departure.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Cummins said that through the review process and looking to the future, there were certain things that stakeholders in the team wanted and thought were important to get the best out of the players.
“I think the players would benefit from a more collaborative approach,” he said.
He added that a big theme for the team this summer has been to be more calm and composed, which had been clear in feedback from players, support staff, and CA.
“I think that’s the direction we want to take the team,” he said.
In a Linkedin post on Sunday concerning his resignation, Langer had explained why he had been intense.
“My life has been built on values of honesty, respect, trust, truth, and performance, and if that comes across as “too intense” at times, I apologize,” Langer said.
Before saying why Justin Langer wasn’t a suitable coach to fulfil the new direction, Cummins praised his former coach.
“He was the perfect man for the times; he did a fantastic job,” he said.
He continued that some skillsets are different to Langer’s traditional coaching style, and although he tweaked his coaching style in the last six months, stakeholders questioned whether that was sustainable, coming to the conclusion that now is the right time for a different direction.
“It’s a matter of opinion, but we think it’s the right one,” Cummins said.
When asked about whether the balance of power between captain and coach is changing, Cummins said it was about tight collaboration between the support staff and the team.
This comes after cricket legend Shane Warne criticised Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday, saying that CA’s treatment of Langer demonstrates that the players are now “calling the shots.”
Cummins said that he'd spent a lot of time in that environment, canvassed many of the players, and has a really good relationship with players and support staff.
“I think I’ve got a pretty good grasp of what’s going to work best in this environment and get the best out of the players,” he said.
“And I honestly think ... this change is right and is needed, and people will have different opinions on that, but I believe this is what’s going to get the best out of our team.”
Cummins added that neither himself nor the team would get to decide who would replace Langer.
“Similar to JL’s contract renewal, we’re part of the feedback process, but that’s solely up to the board, club performance department, and CEO, so we weren’t part of that,” he said.
“We’re all professionals here, so if we didn’t get the coach we wanted, that’s fine; we'd keep playing.”
Andrew McDonald, who was the assistant coach under Langer, has been appointed as interim head coach.
