Langer said, “Be bl***y good, not just at being the number one team in the world, be elite in values.”
Australian head coach Justin Langer (Photo: AFP)
Australian cricket team coach Justin Langer has asked his players to be “bl***y good” not just at being the “number one team” but also in their “values”.
Speaking to Fairfax media ahead of the four-match Test series between India and Australia, Langer said, “Be bl***y good, not just at being the number one team in the world, be elite in values.”
The four-match Test series will begin on Thursday, December 6 2018. “Elite honesty” has become Cricket Australia’s buzzword in the past few months following the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March this year.
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Speaking about Cricket Australia’s “Elite Honesty” slogan, Langer said: “Where we were with Australian cricket at rock bottom eight months ago with what happened in South Africa, the word ‘elite’ … we have to raise the standard. Take the word ‘elite’ out, ok, honesty is a crucial value. If we’re going to develop you’ve got to have honesty with each other, professionalism, humility, learning and your mates.”
Langer also feels winning has become a “dirty” word ever since the damning culture review of sandpaper incident was made public by Cricket Australia.
“They’re really important parts, not just what I believe but what I’ve seen in Australian and West Australian cricket for a very long time,” he said, before adding, “ … it’s really important how the players behave on the field. I agree 100 per cent. It is very important.”
“… I said it since day one, there’s no room for abusing people in anything we do on the cricket field … You don’t abuse people. It causes trouble. In Australian cricket, we’re brought up to play really competitive cricket to try and win it. That can’t be a dirty word, it can’t be a bad thing,” he said.
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