A look at some of Justin Langer's achievements as Australia's head coach

Hard times are the best judge of characters. They force weak-minded people to run away, as only the strong, determined people prevail. Justin Langer definitely belonged to the second category. The former opener took charge of the team in 2018 after Darren Lehmann resigned from the post following the Sandpaper scandal. There was great applause for him worldwide as he undertook the daunting task of regrouping the team after a torrid outing in the Protean soil.

Langer didn’t let anyone down, and in his four-year-long career as the coach delivered some significant milestones. On Saturday, February 5^th, Langer resigned as the head coach following a long-brewing conflict between him and the players over his methods and mannerism in the pavilion.

However, in this small stint of four years, the Australian team reached some of the most incredible heights. This article will revisit some significant milestones achieved by Australia under Justin Langer.

The Ashes retention after 18 years

A year after the infamous incident, shame, and defeat, Australia decided to turn things around for itself. They were left belittled after the series defeat against India, and there’s nothing more dangerous than a bruised Australian side. They came hard at their English counterparts in the summer Ashes being played in foreign condition. After serving one year of suspension, the series also marked the return of players like Smith and Warner into the squad.

The series can be summed up in a sentence released by The Guardian, which read, “England were worn down by the persistence and skill of one of Australia’s best attacks.” Such was the ferocity of the Australian side that England was taken by surprise. And so was the rest of the world when Australia won the fourth test at Old Trafford.

With this victory, they were 2-1 up in the series and retained the Ashes for the first time in 18 years. This was the start of an era of Australian domination under Langer.

Australia lifts the T20 World Cup

Fast forward to 2021, and doing things against the grain had become the norm for Australia. Justin Langer’s side came into the tournament as the least favourites. They had a dismal performance in their previous two T20I series against West Indies and Bangladesh. Australia had lost both the series 4-1 and were looking underprepared for the tournament.

And just like always, they decided to turn things around on their own. Their top players like Warner, Smith, and Marsh decided to take charge when it mattered the most. However, nobody can take away the fact that it was an absolute team effort that saw Australia lift their first T20 World Cup in the game’s history.

Ashes dominance down under

Less than a month later, Australia was faced with the greatest question: will they retain the Ashes at home? They answered the question most dramatically by winning the series 4-0. No matter how much you try, the margin of victory doesn’t justify the dominance Australia enjoyed throughout the series. They left the visitors with no space to breathe and, in the end, no place to hide either. Australia outdid England in each and every department to lift to retain the Ashes.

Langer among one of the bests

Langer faced several allegations of being too hard on the players during this short period. Players like Usman Khwaja came out to talk about how he made players walk on eggshells around him. But this takes nothing away from Langer as the stats speak for themselves. With a 55.5%-win record in Tests, Langer is second best only to John Buchanan among all Australian coaches.

The CEO of Cricket Australia, Nick Hockley, realised how important Langer was for the team and board. In a statement released, he said, “we are extremely proud of his achievements since he took over in 2018, including the recent T20 World Cup victory and Ashes series.

“I would like to sincerely thank Justin and also his family for all that they have given to Australian cricket over the past four years, for which we remain eternally grateful.”

~Written by Vaibhaw Tiwari