Bumrah opens up on Test captaincy ambitions ahead of Perth Test
There was a sense of self-motivation when Jasprit Bumrah came to address the pre-match presser ahead of the opening Test against Australia in Perth starting Friday.
Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins was non-committal when asked whether chief coach Justin Langer should “continue on” after his contract expires following the away series against Pakistan in March-April next year, saying he would rather “savour” the Ashes victory than get into the discussion.
Langer reportedly had an uneasy relationship with some of the players in the squad, and things came to a boil following Australia’s away defeat to Bangladesh in a T20I series. The Cricket Australia (CA) management and the Australian cricket team leadership group had to sit down to resolve the crisis.
In fact, CA CEO Nick Hockley has also kept Langer guessing on the issue of contract extension but has assured that the former cricketer will serve out his full term. Langer is keen to continue in the role and has recently been quoted as saying that he loves his job.
Advertisement
Following the T20I series loss to Bangladesh, Langer has guided the Aaron Finch-led team to its maiden ICC T20 World Cup title in the UAE and the Ashes win.
However, Cummins has not endorsed Langer to remain as head coach of the national team as the coach’s four-year term nears completion.
“I think we’ll savour this victory and continue the Ashes,” Cummins said when asked whether Langer would continue on.
“I don’t think today (Tuesday) is the day to speculate on that. We’ll all sit down together after this series or whenever his tenure is up. His contract is up for renewal in a few months and we’ll deal with that then,” Cummins was quoted as saying by sen.com.au about the 51-year-old former opener on Wednesday.
Langer too brushed aside the question about contract renewal, saying he wanted to bask in the Ashes glory.
Australia defeated England by an innings and 14 runs to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series and retain the Ashes.
“We’ll worry about that later,” Langer said.
The fourth Test is scheduled at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from January 5.
Advertisement
