Former Australian cricket coach Justin Langer has emphasized the importance of the International Cricket Council (ICC) focusing on international cricket amidst growing competition from franchise leagues. Langer pointed out that international matches have a unique ability to unite or deeply impact a nation, unlike the influence of franchise leagues.
Langer, who is also involved with the Indian Premier League (IPL), recently took charge as head coach of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the IPL 2024 season. Under his leadership, the KL Rahul-led team finished seventh in the 10-team points table, failing to reach the semi-finals.
Speaking at World Cricket Connects, an event hosted by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord’s, Langer joined other cricket leaders to discuss the sport’s future and the role of Test cricket in today’s evolving landscape.
The event at Lord’s gathered influential figures from cricket, including players, coaches, broadcasters, franchise owners, and administrators. Among the attendees were Langer and former Australia women’s captain Lisa Sthalekar, who is the current president of the World Cricketers’ Association.
We Have To Keep Protecting International Cricket – Justin Langer
Justin Langer emphasized the importance of preserving international cricket. He stated that international matches, similar to tournaments like the Euros, impact national sentiment by uniting an entire country.
“I love domestic cricket, but I also love international cricket and we have to keep protecting that. International cricket brings the whole country alive or breaks the heart of a whole country. It’s like the football at the moment, with the Euros. If England win, the whole country celebrates. That doesn’t happen in clubs,” Langer stated as per Mirror.co.uk.
They Sat And Watched This Extraordinary Game – Justin Langer
Justin Langer underscored the importance of international cricket by citing two impactful moments from the past year. He reminisced about Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins’ remarkable partnership at Edgbaston during the Ashes. Langer specifically noted a group of fifty nine-year-olds in their cricket whites who were captivated by the Test match action.
“Two things have happened in the last 12 months. This time last year, I was at the Totteridge Cricket Club. I was there with probably 50 kids; I was watching them play cricket. It happened to be when Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins had that amazing partnership at Edgbaston (in the Ashes),” he added.
“I was watching and inside the changing room, there were 50 nine-year-old kids in their whites playing T20 cricket outside, all watching the Test match. When the winning runs were hit, they were shattered, but for 20 minutes they sat and watched this extraordinary game. That is Test cricket,” Langer further stated.
Langer reflected on his broadcasting role with Channel 7, focusing on two notable events. He emphasized the West Indies’ unexpected triumph over Australia at the Gabba, which elevated pacer Shamar Joseph to national hero status. Additionally, Langer highlighted the recent T20 World Cup 2024 victory led by Rohit Sharma and the Indian team.
