Australia skipper Cummins breaks silence on Langer exit with strong verdict

Pat Cummins has come under criticism for staying quiet amid Justin Langer’s exit as Australia head coach, but the country’s Test skipper has finally had his say on the drama

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

The video will auto-play soon8Cancel

Play now

Root accepts England need wholesale changes after Ashes defeat

Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has broken his silence on Justin Langer ‘s departure as head coach, saying he should not be “surprised” that the players wanted a different coach.

Langer resigned on Saturday after rejecting a short-term extension, citing a lack of support from senior players, support staff and the board as the reasons behind his decision.

Cummins has now confirmed that the players felt the time was right for Langer to go, releasing a statement addressing his departure.

In the statement, Cummins said: “To be better players for Australia, from this solid foundation, we need a new style of coaching and skill set.

“This was the feedback the players gave to Cricket Australia. And it’s the feedback I understand support staff also gave.”

Cummins also spoke to the media and said the players “thought it’s the right time to make a change”.

“I don’t think he should be surprised,” Cummins said. “I think two years of evaluations in our environment at Cricket Australia, it’s probably pretty boring, but we get 360 [degree] reviews all the time.

“So we get our strengths and weaknesses poked, prodded, always trying to learn. I think it’s become more public probably in the last week or two, but I don’t think there are any big surprises.

“I think he tweaked and changed a lot and was brilliant. He made some really big changes and deserves a lot of credit for that.

“I guess the question, after the success last couple of months became, do we think it’s sustainable? And, again, it’s probably a matter of varying opinions. But we thought it’s the right time to make a change.”

Cummins also revealed that he had spoken to Langer since he resigned, adding: “We’ve had a few messages over the last few days, and we’re all good.

“From my viewpoint, I’ve got huge respect for the man and I love what he’s done. I owe him a lot. He’s been brilliant, not only for the team but for me individually.

“He’s given me a lot of opportunities, backed me in a lot. So yeah, that’s probably more or less what I passed on.

“We’re all good. And hopefully, we can catch up soon and talk about it. He’s someone I’m sure in the future I’ll keep leaning on.”