ANALYSIS: The 'dick pic' that helped scuttle Langer and fast tracked a natural born leader

Justin Langer’s behavior and suitability to stay as Australian coach had been an issue for the past two years, but he may well have been brought down by a random act two years before he was even appointed.

Without Tim Paine’s 2017 ‘dick pic’, sent to a Cricket Tasmania staffer and only exposed late last year, Langer might well have fought off the rising voices of dissent within his dressing room and secured the extended contract he felt a T20 World Cup and 4-0 Ashes win deserved.

But with Paine’s tumultuous downfall, Langer’s greatest ally was removed. It exposed him to a new way of thinking, and a confident captain who insisted that a “calm and composed” approach trumped Langer’s intensity and mood swings.

On Wednesday, Paine’s replacement, Pat Cummins, delivered a perfect coup de grace to the Langer era and showed exactly why picking him to lead the team was the best decision Cricket Australia has made in years.

Langer’s old mates from his days as a pugnacious, passionate opening batsman have lined up to smash Cricket Australia for the way they handled the affair, and in some cases – notably Mitchell Johnson – gone straight for Cummins’ throat.

Sure, Cummins had to navigate an Ashes series, but so feeble were the touring Poms this summer, the Langer fallout has thrown more at him than the English could muster. And he has handled it superbly, with a blend of humour, humility and the clear sense that he has a team united behind him.

Hopefully the cricket watching nation will support him the same.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

While others have been calling on him to explain his role and his stance, he squared up strongly today – making it clear he wanted Langer removed, making it clear the hysterical bleating of the early 2000s set was based on their support for a mate, rather than facts or logic, and making it clear that the Australian cricket team is now his cricket team.

He said he had no issue with Langer’s intensity – “his fierce love of Australia and the baggy green … makes him a legend of the sport” – but was clear “we need a new style of coaching and skill set.”

Australia has been blessed with some strong leaders down the years. On today’s evidence we saw a blend of Mark Taylor, respectful, measured and admired, and Steve Waugh’s impenetrable ‘don’t f*** with me or my team’ attitude.

Cummins and Langer are not just from different times but from different mindsets.

“The players will benefit from a more collaborative approach. A big theme for this summer has been being more calm, more composed,” said Cummins on Wednesday.

“That’s been really clear in the feedback from players, support staff and Cricket Australia and I think that’s the direction we want to take the team.”

Langer, Cummins argued, was “a perfect man for the times,” when he took over following the ugly fallout in Cape Town.

“He tweaked his coaching style in the last six months and did a really, really good job but we think now is the right time for a different direction.

“It’s a matter of opinion but we think it’s the right one.”

Langer was clearly upset at his treatment, and the decision by Cricket Australia to offer him a six month deal – an offer he couldn’t accept – shows that that organisation could do with being a bit more calm and composed itself.

But for all the shock Langer felt, Cummins suggests he shouldn’t have been surprised.

“JL at the end of it felt like he hadn’t been fairly treated. That’s not on and I hope we can learn from that,” said Cummins.

“I’d say I don’t think he should be surprised though. It’s been two years of evaluations. In our environment at Cricket Australia, I know it’s pretty boring, but we get 360 reviews the whole time.

“We get our strengths and weaknesses poked, prodded. We’re always trying to learn from it so I think it’s become more public in the last week or two but I don’t think there’s any big surprise.”

Langer, as we know, has divided the audience. Many fans, and readers of The Roar, found his emailed statement of intent to stand down to Cricket Australia, a classy and gracious farewell letter.

Then there are those of us who found it pompous and self-aggrandising and cynically and strategically leaked to curry sympathy and cause damage.

“The first rule of coaching is don’t make it about yourself. He made it all about himself,” one insider told me.

Langer and his manager, James Henderson, railed about the “faceless few,” which seemed to suggest Cummins and a couple of other senior players were the only ones agitating for change.

This team is very tight, and has faith in Cummins to lead them on.

The Langer affair has been a fascinating one in the changing tide of sport.

Twenty years ago, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer were giants in Australia.

They still think they’re the main act, still think their era was better than any other, and still think the current day players should hang on their every word in the way the media – yes us included – does.

Over the past week the noise has been increasing and so has the sense of shock that they weren’t getting their way.

Cummins has been dismissive of the outrage, even in the case of Johnson.

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“I know! I can’t believe a fast bowler’s having a go at me,” said Cummins with a smile when asked about it today.

“Look, he’s just standing up for his mate, I absolutely disagree with what he said. He hasn’t reached out but that’s fine, he’s entitled to his opinion but I can hold my head high so I’m fine.

“I actually haven’t really had much of it (personal criticism) before, so it’s actually been good to get it out of the way early in the captaincy.

“I knew when I took on the job it’s gonna come with added scrutiny. The last week’s been good … I’ll cop it, but I’m absolutely fine with it. I know a lot of it’s come from the right place. We all want to do what’s best for Australian cricket.”

Cummins said he had exchanged messages with Langer and claims “we’re all good.

“I’ve just got huge respect for the man. I love what he’s done, I owe him a lot,” Cummins said.

“He’s been brilliant, not only for this team but me individually. He’s given me a lot of opportunities and backed me in a lot. That’s more or less what I passed on to him.”

We can only speculate what the biggest lessons Cummins learned from Langer were.

Most likely? Never back down from a fight. Be true to yourself.

Cummins has delivered on both.