Michael Vaughan has revealed the three players – including captain Pat Cummins – who joined new interim coach Andrew McDonald in an apparently mutinous discussion of the future of Justin Langer in a pub ahead of the Hobart Ashes Test.
Vaughan says English reporters Ali Martin and Nick Hoult – who both broke the story that Trevor Bayliss was the gathering’s preferred pick to replace Langer – were sitting near the quarter of Cummins, McDonald, David Warner and Mitchell Starc at a pub.
Australia had secured the Ashes and Langer’s future was a heavy topic of conversation in the media after reports of dressingroom discontent.
“The one piece of advice I’d give him is that when you’re an Australian cricket captain, you’re always under watch,” the 2005 Ashes-winning skipper said on the Fox Cricket Follow-On podcast.
“I know from close contacts in the England journalistic world that Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, and Andrew McDonald were caught having conversations in a pub in Hobart. That conversation was heard by two or three British journalists.
“My advice to Pat Cummins would be, if you’re going to have strong conversations about the potential removal of your Australian cricket coach, who was in position at the time, don’t do it at a pub. Do not do it in a public domain where you may get heard.
“That’s how all these stories started. It was quite clear that they wanted Justin Langer out, and evident they were talking about the likes of Trevor Bayliss, Michael Di Venuto and Andrew McDonald, who was in that conversation as well.
“They can deny it as much as they want, but the two or three journalists that I know of who were there were in the pub listening. When you’re an international captain, just be careful where you have that conversation.”
Cummins received heavy public criticism for his role in Langer’s downfall, but was adamant he felt the time had come for a change to new ways of approaching the job.
Meanwhile, News Corp says Langer has already fielded many job offers while he’s been in quarantine after arriving home in Western Australia.
“There’s a lot of interest in Justin’s availability from all around the world. We’ve received a lot of approaches inside and outside the game,” Langer’s manager James Henderson said..
“I’m sure Justin Langer won’t be unemployed next summer.”
England Cricket Board administrator and former England captain Andrew Strauss has confirmed Langer is being considered for their national job.
News Corp says he would be in demand as a commentator for 7 and Fox Cricket but considers himself a “career coach”.