Australian way is the way forward, believes Justin Langer

Newly appointed Australia coach Justin Langer says imitating any other team won’t solve problems in ODIs.

In the aftermath of ball-tampering scandal, there have been a lot of talks of Australia changing their style of play. The most notable of these suggestions came from former coach Darren Lehmann, who urged Australian players to follow New Zealand’s style of cricket.

Justin Langer succeeded Darren Lehmann as the head coach of Australia in the aftermath of ball tampering scandal.(Getty Images)

However, the team’s newly appointed coach, Justin Langer, has brushed aside need for any such replication making it clear that the only way forward for the side is the Australian way.

Langer made these comments especially in the context of ODIs, where Australia have struggled since winning the World Cup on home soil in 2015. Going into an away five-match ODI series against arch-rivals England beginning June 13, Australia have lost 11 of their past 13 completed matches.

England, on the other hand, have tasted success in fifty-over format consistently following their dismal show in the 2015 World Cup. Currently ranked the No. 1 ranked side in ODIs, England had drubbed Australia 4-1 when these two teams met last in an ODI series Down Under earlier this year.

Australia’s defeat had prompted the then skipper Steve Smith to urge his players to take a leaf out of English brand of ODI cricket. The new coach, though, feels there is no need for it.

“I’m hearing about mimicking England’s style, and mimicking India’s style, mimicking New Zealand’s style – we’ve got to mimic Australia’s style, because we should be so proud of what we’ve achieved in our past,” Langer was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

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“We’ve got our way of doing things, and we shouldn’t shy away from that.

“Can we get better in one-day cricket? Absolutely, and our ranking shows that – we haven’t been great in one-day cricket. We’ve just got to play it better,” the 47-year-old said.

The Western Australian also emphasised on the importance of fitness and added that players ought to concentrate on excelling as a team and not as individuals.

“For me it’s really clear – we need really good athletes. They’ve got to be able to field well, they’ve got to be really fit so they can run well between the wickets.

“We’ve got to take responsibility with the bat – we’ve probably got away from that in the last year or so, and our ranking suggests that.

“But ultimately it’s about putting emphasis on what we are doing as a team, not what the individuals are doing, and that’s very important I think,” he said.