The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

'Not in their category': Ian Chappell takes brutal swipe at 'legend' Langer comments

Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
3rd March, 2022
178
3244 Reads

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has delivered a brutal swipe at former coach Justin Langer, claiming the gritty opening batter isn’t a legend of the game.

Chappell has taken umbrage to former players deeming Langer a ‘legend’ following his axing from the top job in February following rumours of player discontent with his coaching methods.

Speaking on Wide World of Sports’ Outside the Rope, Chappell didn’t mince his words.

“Why were they saying Langer was a legend? He wasn’t,” Chappell said.

“Langer was smart enough to retire on the same day that Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne retired – now they were really good cricketers. Justin Langer wasn’t in their category as far as I was concerned.

“Damien Martyn, in my opinion, was twice as good as Justin Langer.”

After coming in and out of the Australian Test team throughout the 1990s, Langer found success as part of a prolific opening partnership with close friend Matthew Hayden.

Advertisement

He’d finish alongside Warne and McGrath as part of Australia’s 5-0 whitewash of England in the 2006-07 Ashes, concluding his 105-Test career with 7696 runs at 45.27.

Chappell, for the record, amassed 5345 runs at 42.42 across 75 Tests.

Langer wasn’t the only Australian opener to feel Chappell’s wrath in a strong tirade. The 78-year old also urged selectors to reconsider Usman Khawaja as a long-term opening partner to David Warner, feeling the Queensland captain isn’t up to dealing with spin-friendly conditions like those usually seen on the subcontinent.

But he isn’t any more impressed with Victorian opener Marcus Harris, taken on the tour as batting back-up.

Usman Khawaja of Australia plays a reverse sweep

Usman Khawaja. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“I’m not convinced,” Chappell said of instilling Khawaja at the top of the order.

“I don’t think they should be opening with Khawaja, I think that’s a mistake.

Advertisement

“In Pakistan it will probably be fine. And you haven’t got that many options, because I don’t think [Marcus] Harris is really that good.

“Khawaja, I think if he gets on something that really spins you will see those weaknesses appear again. But I’m not sure you’ll see that in Pakistan.”

“Sri Lanka and India will be a totally different kettle of fish. Khawaja is probably the right bloke to open in Pakistan, but they might have some problems in Sri Lanka and India.”

Instead, Chappell believes forgotten former opener Matt Renshaw might be the man for the job, despite having moved away from the spot in first-class cricket to play in the middle order for Queensland.

Renshaw played the last of his 11 Tests for Australia in late 2017, before being discarded for that summer’s Ashes in favour of Cameron Bancroft.

According to Chappell, Renshaw was handed the rough end of the stick to begin with.

“The bloke I think who got unfairly dealt with was the left-hander from Queensland, Matthew Renshaw,” he said.

Advertisement

“They dropped him on poor first-class form, not poor Test cricket form, and I think if you are going to be dropped from Test cricket it should be because you’re showing poor Test form.”

close