'He was a dead man walking' - Shane Warne slams Cricket Australia for poorly handling Justin Langer case

Justin Langer’s exit as Australia’s head coach hasn’t gone down well with many members of the cricket fraternity, majorly with former Aussie cricketers. Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne is the latest to slam Cricket Australia for its treatment towards Langer. Warner reckons Langer was a ‘dead man walking’ as Cricket Australia and Aussie players didn’t stick to him despite his stellar efforts.

Notably, Langer took over the reins of the team following Darren Lehmann’s exit as head coach amid the infamous ball-tampering saga in 2018. However, the former opener did a commendable job in rebuilding the side. Notably, the Aussies recorded some remarkable victories during Langer’s tenure including the T20 World Cup 2021 triumph and 4-0 Ashes win.

Despite all this, however, Langer wasn’t handed a long-term contract and he subsequently decided to part ways. Giving his take on the entire saga, Warner expressed disappointment with Langer’s ouster.

Justin Langer’s sacking was disappointing: Shane Warne

“Winning an Ashes and a World Cup, it doesn’t get much bigger than that for Australia. But for me, Langer was a dead man walking when I didn’t hear the captain or any other players sticking up for him, saying he was fantastic. I found that really disappointing,” Shane Warne said while speaking on Sky Sports.

“Why couldn’t Cricket Australia come out and say they were not renewing his contract straight away but would wait until the end of the summer, see who the best candidate is and if Langer is still the best candidate, give him a contract? I thought it was pretty poorly handled and that Cricket Australia were disgraceful in the way they handled it.” the former leg spinner added.

Meanwhile, CA have roped in former all-rounder Andrew McDonald as the interim head coach for the time being. He’ll serve the national team in the upcoming historic tour of Australia, which comprises three Tests, as many ODIs and a solitary T20I. Notably, this series will mark Australia’s first assignment on Pakistan soil since 1998.