Border backs Langer for success

New Australia head coach Justin Langer has received a ringing endorsement from Aussie cricket legend Allan Border.

Border was Langer’s first Test skipper when his career was starting out and believes that his approach to coaching will bring success to the team.

Langer’s great strength, according to Border, is his ‘holistic’ approach to coaching that nurtures talent and personal development.

Border told Cricket.com.au: “It’s a holistic approach with Justin – he develops the cricketer and the person.

“That’ll be good for the team.

“He’s also a hard-nosed, very competitive fella.

“Western Australia Cricket has flourished under his stewardship and he’s earned his stripes through some very successful years there.

“Through his own playing career, he’s got a good insight into what it takes – he wasn’t the most naturally gifted player but he got everything out of his talent.

“He’ll also bring work ethic to the table.”

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Langer credited Border and Bob Simpson with instilling that work ethic in him when he started out his playing career.

The coach declared his intent to continue to play an aggressive form of cricket while addressing behavioural issues within the team.

Langer said: “I was brought up under Bob Simpson and Allan Border – I still get nervous saying their names, they were that tough.

“They demanded excellence on and off the cricket field, and we played hard.

“The (Australian) public will be disappointed if we don’t play good, hard, competitive cricket.

“That said, we can also modify our behaviours a bit so it’s not angry, not over-aggressive, but we’re certainly aggressive in the mindset we play with the bat and the ball.”

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