Justin Langer ‘willing to discuss’ crossing Ashes divide to coach England

04/11/2022

Former Australia head coach Justin Langer is reportedly open to the prospect of coaching England.

Langer quit as Australia coach following his side's comprehensive 4-0 win over England in the Ashes, citing a lack of support from senior players, support staff and the board as the reason behind his decision. England, meanwhile, axed their head coach Chris Silverwood in the wake of that humiliating defeat.

And Langer has been tipped as an ideal replacement for Silverwood, with Nasser Hussain stating he is "the type of character England need at the moment" and Michael Vaughan claiming there is nobody "better suited than Justin Langer" to the job. Now, according to a report from the Daily Mail, Langer is 'softening towards the prospect of coaching England'.

The report states that it was previously felt Langer, who played over 100 Tests for Australia as an opener, was 'too patriotic' to cross the Ashes divide and work for England. However, he is now said to be 'willing to discuss' the move.

England's new coach will be appointed by whoever becomes their new managing director, with Marcus North, Rob Key and Ed Smith among the candidates for the job. The first big decision they will need to make is over whether the role should be split between red and white ball cricket.

During his time in charge of Australia, Langer shut down any suggestions of splitting the job, with the 51-year-old keen to oversee the side across all three formats. However, the nature of Langer's departure from his previous job could provide cause for concern.

Australia's players were known to be unhappy with aspects of his 'intense' coaching style, with Test captain Pat Cummins admitting as much after Langer's exit. "I think the players benefit from a more collaborative approach," Cummins said.

"A big theme this summer was to be more calm, more composed. That's been the feedback from the players, staff and Cricket Australia that that's the direction we want to take the team."

Langer also apologised for his intensity in his resignation letter. He wrote: "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 apologise."

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