SYDNEY, Feb 5, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Australian men's cricket coach Justin Langer
announced his surprise resignation Saturday, just weeks after trouncing
archrivals England in a lopsided Ashes series and months after winning the
T20 World Cup.

  The 51-year-old walked away from the top management job in Australian
sports after failing to secure the public support of key players and
acrimonious contract talks with governing body Cricket Australia.

  Board members held lengthy discussions about Langer's future into Friday
night, but failed to reach an agreement on a new deal with the former Test
batsman.

  The coach is said to have bristled at being asked to effectively reapply
for his job and being offered a "short-term extension" to his contract,
despite a stellar record that culminated in a 4-0 Ashes victory and Australia
being ranked the world's number one Test team.

  Sports management company DSEG announced Langer's departure in a terse
statement saying "our client Justin Langer has this morning tendered his
resignation as coach of the Australian mens cricket team".

  "The resignation follows a meeting with Cricket Australia last evening. The
resignation is effective immediately."

  Cricket Australia said it had accepted Langer's resignation, while praising
his "outstanding leadership".

  "Justin is not only a legend of the game but an outstanding individual," it
said, adding Andrew McDonald has been appointed as interim head coach.

  - 'Grumpy' -

  As a player, Langer's searing intensity drove him to greatness with the
bat. But it also appeared to play a role in his downfall, despite his success
reviving the scandal-tainted side's fortunes.

  Langer took the job in 2018, with Australian cricket at its lowest ebb for
decades in the wake of a cheating affair.

  Langer's long-time partner at the crease Matthew Hayden said he had
restored pride in their beloved baggy green cap.

  "He came into one of the most toxic environments in Australian sport"
Hayden told ABC. "It had been disgraced and dishonoured."

  Langer not only ended the rot but oversaw a string of wins that took
Australia back to the top of the Test rankings and culminated in recent
victories in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes.

  But somewhere along the way, Langer lost support in the dressing room, with
disgruntled players complaining anonymously to local media about his
"headmaster-like" leadership style.

  "I am intense, yeah, I am serious, I am -- do I get grumpy sometimes? Yeah,
I get grumpy sometimes," Langer acknowledged early last year.

  "I'm not perfect that's for sure."

  - 'Man manager' needed -

  Former captain Tim Paine -- another post-scandal appointment who was a key
ally in rebuilding the team's tattered reputation -- instigated talks between
the coach and players last August that helped paper over the cracks.

  Langer reportedly pledged to stop micromanaging the team's affairs and
relax his confrontational personal manner.

  Grumblings about his behaviour re-emerged shortly after a sexting scandal
forced Paine's departure on the eve of the Ashes and intensified as contract
negotiations opened with Cricket Australia.

  Public support from Paine's replacement Pat Cummins was lukewarm at best.

  "It lies in Cricket Australia's hands," he said. "They're just going
through an evaluation process at the moment which I think is fair and the
right thing to do."

  Former captain Mark Taylor said he suspected Langer had completed the job
he was brought in to do and Cricket Australia now wanted "more of a man
manager and less of an absolute cricket coach and disciplinarian".

  Regardless of how his tenure as coach ended, Langer's feats with the bat
have already sealed a spot in Australian cricket's Hall of Fame.

  He played 105 Tests from 1993 to 2007, averaging 45.27 and amassing 7,696
runs, including 23 centuries.

  Langer was part of a golden era for Australian cricket, with greats such as
Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath and Ponting in the all-conquering
team.

  He attributed his success to dogged determination rather than dazzling
natural ability and expected those around him to display the same unwavering
application.

  Langer and Hayden became one of the most prolific opening combinations in
history, seeing off the new ball in 113 Tests for a combined 5,655 runs at an
average of 51.58.