Former Australia skipper Michael Clarke believes that the reputation of Pat Cummins has taken a hit after Justin Langer resigned as the coach of the senior men’s team. Cricket Australia on Saturday accepted men’s team head coach Justin Langer’s resignation.
“Justin was offered a short-term extension to his current contract, which sadly he has opted not to accept,” stated an official Cricket Australia release. After this, former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson labelled Cummins as “gutless” and said the Test skipper has an agenda to bring his own coach.
“The Australian public isn’t stupid and this is my point with Pat Cummins. His reputation is squeaky-clean. Right now it has taken a hit, until he stands there and voices his opinion. Look what Mitchell Johnson said about Pat Cummins. A teammate, a friend of his has smoked him,” Clarke said on The Big Sports Breakfast, as reported by Fox Sports.
“My advice to Patty is he has got to stand there. He needs to tell the fans where he sits on this because everyone thinks it is Patty who made the decision. That accountability sits with him. He is trying to honour both parties and has done it very well. He is trying to look after Cricket Australia. I don’t like seeing Pat get smacked for this because I think he is in a lose-lose situation. He sits right in the middle,” he added.
The contract extension offered to Justin was the result of a thorough review process that evaluated many factors including future requirements of the team and the upcoming extensive schedule of fixtures. The extension was approved by the CA Board and was put to Justin last night. It included the opportunity to defend the T20 World Cup title in Australia at the end of this year.
Langer was appointed as the men’s team coach in 2018 after the Sandpaper Gate which saw David Warner, Steve Smith serving out one-year bans. Under Langer, Australia managed to win the T20 World Cup 2021 and then the Ashes.
“Patty needs to come out and make his opinion very clear. Cricket Australia has to allow him to be open and honest otherwise he will be blamed for this. A lot of people are smashing him for this,” said Clarke.
“I saw Mitchell Johnson’s comments, he smoked him. I think a lot of people are thinking what Mitch is thinking. You’ve got the likes of Mark Taylor talking about it, Steve Waugh making comments, Ricky Ponting’s comments are very strong. I’m suggesting to Pat Cummins as the leader, he needs to stand tall and explain to past players – Mitchell Johnson, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden – plus the fans and cricket lovers, what the hell is going on here,” he added.
