'If you’re not getting the results, then you’ve got to expect the negativity' : Ricky Ponting tells Justin Langer
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has advised his fellow countryman Justin Langer of the perils of producing unfavorable results as a coach. Justin Langer's tenure has come under scrutiny, especially following Australia's forgettable T20 tour of Bangladesh. Rumors of a rift with players have also emerged.
Although Cricket Australia, Tim Paine and Aaron Finch backed Langer to deliver good results moving forward, the spotlight remains on the Aussie coach for the moment. The men in yellow have back-to-back important assignments this year, starting with the T20 World Cup in October.
Following that, they will take on England at home for the Ashes urn.
Ricky Ponting, who served as Australia's mentor for the 2019 World Cup told Justin Langer that criticism will follow if a high-profile personality in Australian sport doesn't produce favorable results.
"As I made really clear to Justin, when you’re in that position in Australian sport, whether you’re a high-profile coach or a captain of a national team, if you’re not getting the results, then you’ve got to expect the negativity."
The Tasmanian also pointed out Australia being the top Test and T20 team not too long ago, is likely to add more pressure. However, Ponting felt it was unfair to judge coaches on the last two tours as the team was depleted.
"If you wind the clock back not even 12 months ago, the Australian team were the number one ranked Test team and T20 team in the world, we know all the talent is there. The last tour to Bangladesh and the West Indies was pretty tough to judge the coaches on because I think there was eight or nine out of the starting XI for T20 and one-day cricket weren’t there."
He is also the sort of bloke who seeks that sort of advice: Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting opened up on the emergency meeting, saying that the players might have been direct about Langer's coaching style. However, Ponting understands the former opener's mindset. He thinks Langer is the sort of person who keeps seeking advice on how to improve.
"It sounds like the captain and some of the senior players have had some pretty direct conversation with Justin about the things they think he needs to get better at. But he is also the sort of bloke who seeks that sort of advice anyway. He wants to find out how he can get better and what he can do better."
Meanwhile, Justin Langer has already declared the emergency meeting a productive one. The West Australian remains confident of becoming a better coach post the meeting.