In response to remarks made by the previous coach Justin Langer, Australia’s captain Pat Cummins made it clear on Tuesday that the team had “no cowards.”
Following the allegations, citing sources, regarding his tough coaching method, Langer this week criticized the nameless “cowards” who leaked against him in the run-up to his resignation this year.
Nick Hockley, the head of Cricket Australia, dismissed Langer’s assertions and backed the team; Cummins also vehemently defended his dressing room.
Before the first Test against the West Indies on Wednesday, Cummins told media in Perth that “there are no cowards in an Australian cricket team, not ever.” He added that he was “disappointed” Langer had brought up the subject.
“I find it upsetting when attention is diverted from on-field problems even though they haven’t had much of an impact on our team,” the author said.
Langer then claimed he was not talking to players when he used the word “cowards,” a move Cummins said he appreciated. The captain at Perth Stadium, which has Langer’s name on one of the stands, said, “I suppose he had a think about it and clarified it, so I applaud him for that.”
“However, we’re incredibly proud of the past 12 months, including the way we’ve performed, behaved, and fronted up. Undoubtedly, athletes can stand tall.”
In February, Langer quit his job as a result of tense contract negotiations with Cricket Australia and his failure to earn the public support of important players.
Despite leading Australia to a 4-0 Ashes victory over England in 2021 and then to success at the Twenty20 World Cup that same year, he was dissatisfied with being given a six-month extension.
Last week, he made the following shocking assertion in a podcast: “Everyone was being polite to my face but I was reading about this stuff and half of it… I found it hard to believe that was making headlines.”
“The term “source” is frequently used by journalists. Change the word to “coward,” in my opinion. A coward speaks, not an authority. With pace bowler Scott Boland and opener Marcus Harris being excluded due to the anticipated fast, bouncy surface,” Cummins stated that Australia’s lineup for the opening Test would be as largely anticipated.
There won’t be any alterations to the top seven bowlers, who will continue to be Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon’s spin. Cummins remarked, “You could have probably picked it up a year ago.”
With the West Indies have not triumphed on Australian territory in 25 years, top-ranked Australia is the clear favourite.
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