‘Sticking up for my mates’: Cummins breaks his silence on ex-coach Langer

Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has broken his silence on Justin Langer’s resignation as the national men’s coach.

Cummins issued a lengthy statement in which he defended his teammates and against former greats who have condemned current players for the treatment of their close friend Langer.

“Many former players have reached out to me and silently offered me their advice which is welcome,” Cummins said.

Australian captain Pat Cummins issued a statement on former coach Justin Langer.Credit:Getty Images

“Some others have spoken in the media – which is also welcome and comes from a love of the game and their support of a mate.

“To all past players, I want to say this: Just as you have always stuck up for your mates, I’m sticking up for mine.”

The statement came about an hour before he is due to speak to the media at 1.30pm following an onslaught of criticism from past legends about the role of player power in Langer’s exit and its handling by Cricket Australia.

Australian batsman Usman Khawaja on Tuesday said it would be helpful if Cummins and white-ball captain Aaron Finch publicly explained the players’ views. Finch is likely to front the media on Thursday.

“There’s obviously a lot of ex-players coming and talking about the playing group,” Khawaja said in Brisbane on Tuesday. “I think at some stage one of the captains, ‘Finchy’ or ‘Patty’, will have to stand up and answer some questions, just to get rid of all the speculation that’s going around and put an end to it.”

Cummins was a popular appointment as Test captain after Tim Paine was forced to stand down at the start of the summer over an exchange of lewd text messages with a Cricket Tasmania staffer.

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