Justin Langer, the underrated Australian of the great Aussies team

[Hasan123]

Literally no one ever talks about Langer and how good a player he was. He averages 45 after 105 tests as an opener in era of facing Wasim,Waqar,Ambrose,Walsh,Donald,Pollock, etc. Yet he is hardly mentioned in that great Australian team. Think he deserves more credit than he gets.

England were considering hiring him as a coach and he's been talked about replacing Darren Lehmann in the future. Even though he isn't the most flashy batsmen or have superstar personality, still think he should be talked about more about how good a player he was.

Does anyone else think he is underated?

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

He was a very good opener but not better than his own team mate Hayden.


He is one of the Top 3 Professional Cricket Coaches Worldwide at the moment. (In my view)

A great student of the game.



Coming back to the bowlers you mentioned Langer never faced these bowlers in their peak except for Pollock.

 

[Hasan123]

He was a very good opener but not better than his own team mate Hayden.


He is one of the Top 3 Professional Cricket Coaches Worldwide at the moment. (In my view)

A great student of the game.



Coming back to the bowlers you mentioned Langer never faced these bowlers in their peak except for Pollock.

He's not better than Hayden but still a good opener who deserves more credit.

Oh right well he made his debut in 93 so he would have had to face them bowlers at some point.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

He's not better than Hayden but still a good opener who deserves more credit.

Oh right well he made his debut in 93 so he would have had to face them bowlers at some point.

Langer is given credit. Not in the limelight like others because he only played 1 format like Slater.


No, He & Hayden got dropped for 5-6 years after making their International Debut so they did not face those bowlers in their prime.

 

[Hasan123]

Langer is given credit. Not in the limelight like others because he only played 1 format like Slater.


No, He & Hayden got dropped for 5-6 years after making their International Debut so they did not face those bowlers in their prime.

Playing 100 tests and averaging 45 is still good.

Shows the depth of previous Australia teams to leave them out for that many years.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Class opener. Will definitely choose him over Hayden in tests.

 

[Chrish]

He was decent.. nothing more or less

 

[Convict]

Langer is very much underrated

 

[Junaids]

He was a very good opener but not better than his own team mate Hayden.


He is one of the Top 3 Professional Cricket Coaches Worldwide at the moment. (In my view)

A great student of the game.



Coming back to the bowlers you mentioned Langer never faced these bowlers in their peak except for Pollock.

On the contrary, I personally think Langer was a better batsman than Haydos.

Haydos was brilliant on a grassless track, whether it was in an ODI or in India.

But he averaged 35 in England and South Africa and 28 in New Zealand, whereas Langer averaged 55, 30 and 48 respectively in the same conditions, often in the same series.

It's a bit like Gordon Greenidge still having a reputation superior to Desmond Haynes, whereas by the end I think most of us could see that Haynes was the sounder batsman.

 

[Hasan123]

Langer is very much underrated

How is he rated in Australia

 

[Hasan123]

He's not better than Hayden but still a good opener who deserves more credit.

Oh right well he made his debut in 93 so he would have had to face them bowlers at some point.

After seeing Junaids stats he is better than Hayden in tests with Hayden being the superior player in LO so he deserves more credit for his test records.

 

[proud_pakistani]

I think that Australian team collectively was so good that most people spoke about them as a big unit. There were some players who were clearly better than the others like Ponting, Warne, McGrath, Hayden. The others were not too bad either like Langer but definitely they were in a league above some of their peers which is why some of them are a little under rated.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Langer was actually better than Hayden. He was scoring centuries in the 90s when Hayden was not good enough to be in the team. Had an excellent tour of Pakistan in 1998.

 

[soso_killer]

Both Langer and Kirsten are massively underrated, I rate them above Hayden who scored the bulk of his runs in Australia.

Best opening bats of the last 20 years
1. Smith
2. Cook
3. Langer- Kirsten
5. Hayden.

 

[Chrish]

Hayden is the best non-asian player in asia I have seen..

 

[Kakar]

Very underrated. It's criminal that he is not mentioned in same bracket as the other great openers of his era. You couldn't survive in that Aussie team by just being decent. Wasn't even someone with one gear only, as evident by his list A and T20 career. Probably would have been a decent limited over batsman for any other international team.

 

[Suleiman]

Tough as nails.

 

[Pantani]

Both Langer and Kirsten are massively underrated, I rate them above Hayden who scored the bulk of his runs in Australia.

Best opening bats of the last 20 years
1. Smith
2. Cook
3. Langer- Kirsten
5. Hayden.

Also Slater, Anwar and Sehwag. They're right up there too in the top tier. Then in the next tier guys like Atherton, Jayasuriya, Gayle, Strauss, Taylor, Trescothick.

 

[soso_killer]

Also Slater, Anwar and Sehwag. They're right up there too in the top tier. Then in the next tier guys like Atherton, Jayasuriya, Gayle, Strauss, Taylor, Trescothick.

Sehwag doesn't belong in that category IMO, not even close.
He was good in flat tracks and spinning conditions.
He would limit a team in certain conditions as a team would be virtually 1 wicket down without having scored a run. Those guys may not have been as good or as devastating in spinning conditions but were good enough.

Similar to Warner, i don't rate him among these guys. Like Sehwag his is too limited. In certain conditions he'll win you matches, and in others he'll be a walking wicket.
I would rather have an all rounded player averaging 40+ striking in the 40's and capable of blunting the new ball and tackling spin well. I'm not a big fan of walking wickets, match winners or not.

 

[Robert]

Played a big role in bringing Strauss forward at Middlesex. An inspirational team-mate, always 100% enthusiastic and supportive.

 

[Mamoon]

Tremendous Test opener, tough as a nut. Few things were more difficult than dismissing a well set Langer.

Better than Hayden who is overrated on this forum because of his brute persona.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Both Langer and Kirsten are massively underrated, I rate them above Hayden who scored the bulk of his runs in Australia.

Best opening bats of the last 20 years
1. Smith
2. Cook
3. Langer- Kirsten
5. Hayden.

Cook above Langer? Nah. Cook wouldn't survive 10 overs against the pacers Langer faced.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Cook above Langer? Nah. Cook wouldn't survive 10 overs against the pacers Langer faced.

Cooks does not have the best of records against quality fast bowlers. Langer averaged around 50 against both Pakistan and SA.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Cooks does not have the best of records against quality fast bowlers. Langer averaged around 50 against both Pakistan and SA.

Langer was a rock. His offstump game was as good as it gets.

 

[Hawkeye]

Langer was class. I just like him a lot for some reason, even though haven't seen him much.

 

[soso_killer]

Cook above Langer? Nah. Cook wouldn't survive 10 overs against the pacers Langer faced.

you've got a good point both he and Gary faced superior bowlers.

 

[Dead Ball]

Langer is not rated too highly and rightly so.

Had a very poor record in Asia. I think he failed in every single inning in 6 tests in SL apart from a dead rubber in 2003 iirc. In fact, he holds the dubious record of most centuries in dead rubbers (8 i think)

Failed in India and SA, OK record in Pakistan mainly due to scoring a ton on a runaway against a depleted Pakistani attack in 1998.

Averaged 38 in WI before WI started fielding a minnow level bowling attack in 2003. Scored one fifty in six tests in SA (highest score of 58) Need i go on?

He was a good opener but nowhere close to as good as some people on this thread are making him out to be.

Cook is comfortably better.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

you've got a good point both he and Gary faced superior bowlers.

It's beside the point that Langer faced superior bowlers, Cook has consistently failed against quality seam bowlers of his time.

 

[Mamoon]

Langer is not rated too highly and rightly so.

Had a very poor record in Asia. I think he failed in every single inning in 6 tests in SL apart from a dead rubber in 2003 iirc. In fact, he holds the dubious record of most centuries in dead rubbers (8 i think)

Failed in India and SA, OK record in Pakistan mainly due to scoring a ton on a runaway against a depleted Pakistani attack in 1998.

Averaged 38 in WI before WI started fielding a minnow level bowling attack in 2003. Scored one fifty in six tests in SA (highest score of 58) Need i go on?

He was a good opener but nowhere close to as good as some people on this thread are making him out to be.

Cook is comfortably better.

Good points, but I think besides his numbers in each country, Langer had excellent levels of concentration and could just bat and bat for hours.

Ability to occupy the crease is a fundamental attribute of a high class Test opener. Something openers like Smith and Cook have/had in abundance as well.

In Tests, a 40 (100) type knocks from an opener are useful as well. It won't look pretty in terms of averages, but in context of the match, it can often prove to be very important because you get to shield the middle-order from the new ball and more importantly (especially in Asia), you block one end for hours.

I've watched a lot of Langer and my memory of him is an extremely gritty player who was very hard to send back to the pavilion. I rarely have memory of him getting out early in the innings.

I wonder what his average number of deliveries/dismissal are in Asia, would be quite surprised if it is low and if that is the case, I would be prepared to reconsider my opinion on him.

 

[Abdullah719]

I wonder what his average number of deliveries/dismissal are in Asia, would be quite surprised if it is low and if that is the case, I would be prepared to reconsider my opinion on him.

Roughly 70.5 in Asia as opposed to 86.5 outside Asia.

 

[Mamoon]

Roughly 70.5 in Asia as opposed to 86.5 outside Asia.

Thanks. It is pretty good I guess.

 

[soso_killer]

It's beside the point that Langer faced superior bowlers, Cook has consistently failed against quality seam bowlers of his time.

Cook is a superior player of spin though

 

[Mamoon]

My top 5 openers of the last 20 years:

Cook
Smith
Sehwag
Langer
Hayden

 

[Abdullah719]

Thanks. It is pretty good I guess.

Hayden in comparison faced >84 balls per dismissal in Asia, and outside Asia too. His record is weaker elsewhere, though.

 

[Mamoon]

Hayden in comparison faced >84 balls per dismissal in Asia, and outside Asia too. His record is weaker elsewhere, though.

From memory, Hayden seemed less reliable to me and that is why I prefer Langer. When he was good, he was absolutely brutal but when he was bad, he was quite bad.

Langer did not reach the heights of Hayden because he was less talented, but I don't think his lows were as low as Hayden's though.

Nonetheless, a fantastic pair.

 

[Muhammad10]

Langer = Rogers

Hayden = Warner

 

[R1ddlR]

Langer had a hell of a lot of patience - it was very difficult to get under his skin - would pick him over Hayden everyday of the week.
[MENTION=134551]Muhammad10[/MENTION] is pretty spot on, albeit i think Langer was more consistent than Rodgers.

 

[PakLFC]

He was not underrated at but appreciated. Being less of a stroke player he rightfully probably did not receive the accolades of a Mark Waugh or Adam Glichrist. He was a very effective player if not pleasant on the eye.

 

[Muhammad10]

Langer had a hell of a lot of patience - it was very difficult to get under his skin - would pick him over Hayden everyday of the week.
[MENTION=134551]Muhammad10[/MENTION] is pretty spot on, albeit i think Langer was more consistent than Rodgers.

Langer probably played big knocks far more regularly, but Rogers was extremely consistent.

I recall him scoring several consecutive fifties at one point, and his resilient style of play complemented Warner's axe-wielding perfectly.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

A very gritty and underrated player. One of the best Australian player in his time.

 

[MenInG]

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Justin Langer wanted to return home midway through Australia’s Ashes tour of England in 2001 and announce his retirement after being dropped from the side due to poor form, the current national team head coach has revealed.

The left-hander, who used to bat at the number three position, was short of runs and found himself out of the side before the start of the opening test against the arch-rivals.

He was recalled for the fifth and final test and asked to open the batting with fellow left-hander Matthew Hayden for the first time - the start of one of the most successful opening partnerships in the history of the game.

“Literally, the week before I opened for the first time with Haydos, I told all my family I’m getting on a plane and leaving (and) I’m going home,” Langer told the ABC’s One Plus One programme this week.

“I couldn’t make a run, I thought I’d failed (and) I’d never play for Australia again. I’d been dropped at the start of the series when I thought I was going to play. My wife had flown over because I was going to retire the week before.

“I was so down in the dumps ... and out of nowhere, (captain) Steve Waugh rings me and says; ‘you’re going to open the batting tomorrow’.”

Langer went on to score an unbeaten 102 at The Oval - the first of his 16 centuries as an opener.

It proved to be the turning point of the career for Langer, who scored 7,696 runs from 105 tests, including 23 hundreds.

“It was another great lesson,” he said. “If you just hang in there, you never know what’s around the corner.”

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-c...s-how-he-almost-retired-in-2001-idUKKBN2210D8

 

[MenInG]

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Justin Langer wanted to return home midway through Australia’s Ashes tour of England in 2001 and announce his retirement after being dropped from the side due to poor form, the current national team head coach has revealed.

The left-hander, who used to bat at the number three position, was short of runs and found himself out of the side before the start of the opening test against the arch-rivals.

He was recalled for the fifth and final test and asked to open the batting with fellow left-hander Matthew Hayden for the first time - the start of one of the most successful opening partnerships in the history of the game.

“Literally, the week before I opened for the first time with Haydos, I told all my family I’m getting on a plane and leaving (and) I’m going home,” Langer told the ABC’s One Plus One programme this week.

“I couldn’t make a run, I thought I’d failed (and) I’d never play for Australia again. I’d been dropped at the start of the series when I thought I was going to play. My wife had flown over because I was going to retire the week before.

“I was so down in the dumps ... and out of nowhere, (captain) Steve Waugh rings me and says; ‘you’re going to open the batting tomorrow’.”

Langer went on to score an unbeaten 102 at The Oval - the first of his 16 centuries as an opener.

It proved to be the turning point of the career for Langer, who scored 7,696 runs from 105 tests, including 23 hundreds.

“It was another great lesson,” he said. “If you just hang in there, you never know what’s around the corner.”

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-c...s-how-he-almost-retired-in-2001-idUKKBN2210D8

 

[Dulex9]

Langer was a fighter, a good opener too.

 

[jeetu]

Langer was a great opener. However Australian team has the likes to Steve Waugh , Hayden , Ponting and Gilchrist who were better batsman than him. There was also Michael Clarke right up there.

 

[Ab Fan]

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Martyn
Waugh
Symonds
Gilchrist (wkt)

What a lineup Australia had.

 

[Srtfan]

[MENTION=139595]Ab Fan[/MENTION] Waugh & Symonds didn’t play toghter in test.