Justin Langer has, for now, survived an intense fortnight of speculation about his role as Australian coach.
Much as when he opened the batting on fast WACA decks, the West Australian copped a press barrage in recent weeks, ranging from leaked player discontent to disgruntled former colleagues.
He survived — but only just.
While Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley might try to convince the public otherwise, his hold on the role remains tenuous. For Langer has overseen a steady 18-month decline in results.
Irrespective the mitigating factors and excuses provided around recent defeats, the Australian men’s team has stagnated in the two most relevant formats as we speak: Test and T20 cricket.
Langer is fortunate that recent series defeats to the West Indies and Bangladesh were as off-broadway as possible for an Australian team, overshadowed by the Olympics and (in the case of Bangladesh) only available on surreptitious streaming sites.
But in less than two month’s time, everyone will be watching.
Grouped with both the Windies and world no.1 England in the upcoming T20 World Cup, the threat of missing the semi-finals is genuine.
Should that occur, the jungle drums will be beating louder than they have in recent weeks for Langer’s exit, and his intense personality will come under even more scrutiny.
We’ve compiled a list of the most likely candidates to replace him, and their estimated odds.
Andrew McDonald ($1.40)
The standout option. And for good reason.
Not only is McDonald the natural replacement (given his position as assistant coach), universally respected amongst players and recognised for his level-headed temperament, he is a serial winner.
The former all-rounder began his coaching badges aged 27 and at just 33, took over a Leicestershire side that had not won a County Championship match in over two seasons.
Soon after they broke a 992-day drought as McDonald oversaw a club rebuild. From there he took over at both Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades and success soon followed, including a BBL title, two Sheffield Shields and a One-Day cup.
Former Australian quick Dirk Nannes last week told told the ABC that “Australian cricket would be the poorer for not elevating him” should the role become available.
Jason Gillespie ($3.00)
Gillespie has long been linked to big roles, without ever landing one. Back in 2015 he was the red-hot favourite to replace Peter Moores as England coach, but was pipped by Trevor Bayliss. One gets the feeling he’s close, and the Australian position could well be it.
The similarities with McDonald are striking. He, too, has won the BBL (with Adelaide Strikers in 2017/18) and two domestic titles, when he led Yorkshire to back-to-back County Championships in 2014 and 2015.
Jason Gillespie looks on. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Gillespie, too, operates from the new school of coaching and is much more likely to put an arm around a player than deliver them a spray.
This was particularly evident when, in 2015 as a young reporter, I spent the season covering Yorkshire games in the 2015 Natwest T20 Blast.
Gillespie’s upbeat demeanour post-game rarely wavered, be that after a big win or crushing loss. He backed younger players in and gave them responsibility. He is a people-person, and a good delegator.
Trevor Bayliss ($5.50)
Bayliss completely revolutionised white ball cricket in England after pipping Gillespie to the head coach role in 2015.
It shouldn’t be overlooked that England went from ODI World Cup embarrassments in 2015 (bundled out in the group stage) to champions in 2019.
Aligning brilliantly with Eoin Morgan, they employed an ultra-aggressive approach especially to batting that, while experiencing some teething issues, saw them rise to the top, where they remain.
While Langer might be described as a hands-on coach, Bayliss is the embodiment of hands-off. Rarely flustered and always measured, it may just be the demeanour some players are reportedly crying out for.
It can’t be overlooked that while overseeing strong white ball results, England’s Test side stagnated under Baylis. The batting unit as a whole struggled, the legacy of which sees an unhealthy reliance on too few. At 58, whether Bayliss has the drive to re-enter an international role could also be a huge factor. His current position at Sunrisers Hyderabad would see him well paid and having to spend far fewer months away from home.
Greg Shipperd ($7.00)
Few coaches have had a greater influence on Australian domestic cricket than Greg Shipperd. He has won 11 titles, including the two most recent BBL comps with the Sydney Sixers. It’s doubtful anyone understands the domestic structure and all its players better than Shipperd, who is reportedly forensic in his examination of opposition.
It seems every figure in Australian cricket has a Shipperd anecdote, the vast majority of which are positive. Take Ricky Ponting, for example, who he coached as a youngster in Tasmania.
“He understood me well, he understood my game well, and if things weren’t going well throughout my international career, he’d be the first one I’d talk to,” Ponting told cricket.com.au earlier this year.
“I still think now, talking batting with him is probably the most I’ve ever got out of talking to a coach about batting.”
Again, age would come into the question with Shipperd. Would a 64-year-old have the drive to spend 300 days away from home a year?
Michael Di Venuto ($11)
A well-respected batting coach for Australia from 2013 to 2016, who in July re-entered the fold as another assistant for Langer. Di Venuto left his post in 2016 bound for London, where he coached Surrey until 2020. Whilst at The Oval, he claimed the 2018 County Championship. Di Venuto is reportedly well-liked among players and his re-emergence as Aussie assistant (where he will again focus on batting) will serve the team well. However a lack of head coach success so far in the shorter formats doesn’t bode well for any future role.
Ricky Ponting ($15)
The fact Ponting is an outsider to take over as Australian coach is a reflection on the role, not him. In fact, it’s likely he would be one of Cricket Australia’s top candidates. Whether he could commit himself wholly to the role, however, given his business and media interests is another thing altogether. Ponting’s work at Delhi Capitals (especially with Rishabh Pant and Marcus Stoinis) has been superb and if Cricket Australia in future decide to split the head coaching role — as they absolutely should — then the chance of securing him might rise. As it stands, it would appear unlikely.
Clear as mud
Guest
Sorry to drop off I had other stuff happening My point about Taylor is as detailed - he speaks strongly about a world that is long gone. And everything he says is asterisked as a Board Member and SMH north shore luvvy. The irony of “adults taking responsibility” is that the players alone took responsibility. Longest suspensions ever. No appeals. Suffer thru the imposition of St Tim and Archbishop Justin, reminding them every day they can’t be trusted. Yet the Board.. sentenced them, buried the reports, took no blame. Like every other time in my lifetime, from Lawry to now. So… I back the players.
CricDude
Guest
I would say Gillespie and Hayden are the better candidates for the role, but that's just my opinion. And as an Indian, I would be glad if BCCI roped in one of them to replace Ravi as Indian coach, if Mahela is not available for India.
Paul
Roar Guru
no argument he's a front runner, but being an Australian assistant coach would normally be a help. If the Aussies don't perform in the coming months, his position might become more of a hindrance.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Not sure McDonald's imprint is on the team as an assistant, Paul. His pedigree as a Shield winning player and coach should give him a handy leg up though.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Anyone who has 'Pro', under their name is, Ruairidh. David Schout is a Melbourne-based freelance journalist covering (mostly) cricket. He has written for The Guardian, the ICC, IPL, NCA Newswire and others. Click on their name and you'll see their bio.
Marty
Roar Rookie
Yet you are quite happy to ‘decree’ that Taylor doesn’t know what he’s talking about because you’ve decided that he’s been out of the game too long. Pot, kettle, black. And I wasn’t stating ‘what’s so hard to understand about that?’ It was a genuine question (you can tell from the question mark), because I’m not sure what part of adults taking responsibility for their own actions you don’t understand.
Clear as mud
Guest
Just because it’s your view it doesn’t make it right or give you the right to tell “what’s so hard to understand about that” like you alone get to decree the truth
Marty
Roar Rookie
So what happened in Cape Town was the boards fault because it hadn’t supported the players on that tour? How about the years of appalling on field behaviour leading up to that tour? Was that the boards fault as well? These guys are adults and at the end of the day need to take responsibility for their own behaviour, what’s so hard to understand about that?
Clear as Mud
Guest
Dumb old me with no understanding of the basics of elite sport. And no memory of just how bad the Board failed the players before Cape Town. And no ability to differentiate between the dressing room and the east if life on tour and in lockdown. Back to school for me…
Marty
Roar Rookie
Some things may have changed since Tubby was in charge but plenty haven’t, including basic team dynamics. Let’s not forget that the players you seem so keen to hand control back to were basically the same ones who played in Cape Town, including the guy who’s idea it was. The others may not have been directly involved but were certainly involved in the general appalling standard of behaviour that had been going on for years. They had their chance to run their own show under Boof and they blew it. Unfortunately this is what tends to happen when players are allowed to much control, and its exactly what happened in this case. That’s what Tubby’s talking about, and you don’t need to be in the current setup to understand that, just understand some basics about elite level team sport.
Clear as Mud
Guest
Also Taylor hasn’t played any white ball cricket for 25 years. No tests for 20+. Led a dressing room full of Waugh’s and Warnes and McGraths. Great skipper. But no franchise. No three formats. No constant touring. No pandemic and bubbles. No social media. No multiple coaches. His opinion is only just more valuable than yours and mine. But neither of us have been on the Board. The Board let the players down in Sa before Sandpapergate. The Board told them they had to win after Hobart. The Board let them get shafted by a rogue skipper and junior bureaucrats over homeworkgate. The Board let them down and contributed to the Rebel tours. The Board shafted the players for decades until WSC. So I’m pretty clear where my loyalties lie.
Clear as Mud
Guest
What, you would have them practise for 5 minutes a month? Crazy stuff
Clear as mud
Guest
Tubby is a great and I always liked him but he has been the Board’s man for 15 years
robertbrob13226
Roar Rookie
Great article David ,except for one small point the CEO of cricket is a Pom ,when would you see the NZ rugby have an overseas Coach
Henry Kapernick
Guest
If players spent half as much time working on their batting and bowling flaws, rather than criticizing the coach then all formats of Aussie cricket would be in a much better place.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
It's not the cricketing way that's why. Captain's speak to the media at organised endorsed media conferences and other players are pretty much banned other than a quick interview during a game after they've done something good on an individual level. That's how it should be.
Marty
Roar Rookie
I must admit I’ve never quite understood the whole ‘Langer shouldn’t talk to the media’ idea. Pretty much every other coach of a professional sporting team on the planet speaks to the media regularly and thats fine but when Langer does it it’s a problem? Why? What the difference? No doubt if he turned around tomorrow and refused to do any more interviews people (in particular the media) would bag him for not being accessible.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
I am happy to back Langer at least until the end of the Ashes as long as he is taken off the selection committee and quits trying to be a media spokesperson.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Not saying it’s necessarily a bad idea, but does any other team split the coaching role? I think England did it once but not in the last several years.
Paul
Roar Guru
I wouldn't mind have a piece of Gillespie at $3.00. I agree McDonald is likely to be a front runner but I wonder whether he might not be tarred by the same brush as Langer. After all, he's an assistant coach under Langer during this period of underwhelming achievement. I also can't see CA making a call on the coaching role till early in the New Year, regardless what happens at the World Cup. Hockley's backed Langer for both the WC and the Ashes so he's not likely to cave to any external pressure - unless Australia loses the Ashes before Christmas.