‘We are all 100% behind Justin Langer’ – Tim Paine defends Australian head coach amid criticism

The Test series loss against India at home earlier this year has indeed taken Australian cricket by storm. Many odds were against the visitors in the series, with several of their big names getting ruled out midway. However, India still managed to shock the Aussies and walked away with a 2-1 win. Unsurprisingly, the home team faced criticism from different parts for their ‘lacklustre show’.

Even the Australian head coach Justin Langer came under the scanner for his aggression. Several reports suggested that Langer’s intensity as a head coach has caused discontent in the Australian dressing room, leaving many players upset. Contrary to the claims, Australian Test skipper Tim Paine has strongly defended Langer, saying that the entire squad is behind him. The wicketkeeper-batsman even asserted that Langer has done a tremendous job as a mentor.

“We are all 100% behind JL [Justin Langer] and the job he is doing. We had a team review at the end of the Indian series, which is a pretty common factor in professional sports. From Justin to our last player, everyone will get feedback they can improve on,” Paine told reporters in Brisbane.

We are trying to create an environment to give people feedback: Tim Paine

“We will go to the Gold Coast in a couple of weeks to delve a bit deeper into that… we are trying to create an environment to give people feedback. We obviously did not play as well as we [would have] liked against India and we all want to improve,” he added.

Meanwhile, Langer has a job in hand with several important fixtures lined up. Australia will travel to West Indies for a full-fledged tour, starting from July 9. Moreover, the ICC T20 World Cup and the Ashes will also take place later this year. Hence, the Aussies would be determined to get their lost supremacy back with an impressive show in these assignments.

Meanwhile, Paine, who isn’t a part of Australia’s white-ball team, would be having his eyes on the Ashes 2021-22 at home. Speaking of the same, the veteran asserted that England would come up with a solid team, and the hosts will have to put up a substantial show to retain the urn.