Steve Butler: The results speak for themselves Cricket Australia, it’s time to re-sign Justin Langer

Justin Langer’s job as Australian cricket coach. Seriously, why are we even talking about it? That Cricket Australia has not yet formally extended Langer’s contract is not only an indictment on good governance, but a failure of solid leadership. I wrote in the Sunday Times last month that when the tail started wagging the dog in any organisation, the mange invariably sets in. That infliction has now taken hold with CA’s inaction allowing the continued peddling of misinformation around Langer and the incredible job he has done since the “Sandpapergate” fiasco in South Africa in 2018 tore trust away from the national team. So as the smear campaign festers, let’s start here. Those who believe Langer should “read the room” and meekly give up his post need to instead read the score sheets. In the past few months, the WA cricket legend has led Australia to a T20 World Cup victory not even the most fervent of Aussie optimists could see coming. He then led the team to a 4-nil slaying of England in the Ashes series, was announced by the revered Wisden Cricket Monthly as the 2021 Coach of the Year and was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. His national team is also currently rated world No.1 by the International Cricket Council. If all that does not scream contract extension, then what does? What other sporting organisation would snub its nose at that level of sustained success. And may some form of deity help us all if the suggestions are true that some of the well-paid players under Langer’s guidance simply do not like the intense style and direct feedback he gives them. If that is to root cause of the conjecture, what does that say about what sort of society we are becoming? I find it incredible to say the least that the players have not felt cause to, pardon the pun, go strongly into bat for Langer publicly following their enormous recent success. It is particularly disappointing not to hear it from new captain Pat Cummins. CA was forced on Tuesday to correct what it cited as a “a number of inaccuracies” in a report by Fox Sports’ Tom Morris, who claimed a “heated meeting” took place in a meeting with CA chief executive Nick Hockley and High Performance and National Teams general manager Teams Ben Oliver. CA claimed it was not a fiery meeting and that he was not asked to reapply for his job, as reported by Morris. And anyone who knows anything about Langer would scoff at a suggestion, reported by Malcolm Conn in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers, that he had taken a “back seat” as his assistants Andrew McDonald and Michael Di Venuto did all the coaching, would know the reality of that is as nonsensical as it is unfathomable. Langer’s contract is in place until mid this year, following a tour to Pakistan in March and April. But it is understood he may hear of his future or fate by this Friday. Bluntly, he has earned the absolute right to a full contract extension.