49 Facts About Justin Langer

1.

Justin Lee Langer is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer.

2.

Justin Langer is the former coach of the Australia men's national team, having been appointed to the role in May 2018 and leaving in February 2022.

3.

Justin Langer holds the record for the most runs scored at first-class level by an Australian.

4.

Justin Langer won a scholarship to the Australian Cricket Academy at the Australian Institute of Sport in 1990.

5.

Justin Langer retired from all forms of the cricket at the end of the 2009 English cricket season.

6.

Justin Langer was the Australian national cricket team's batting coach and senior assistant coach from November 2009 until November 2012, when he was appointed senior coach of the Perth Scorchers and Western Australia.

7.

In 2016, Justin Langer became interim coach for the Australian team while then coach Darren Lehmann took leave to scout for the Ashes and away matches late in 2016.

8.

On 3 May 2018, Justin Langer was announced as coach of the Australian national cricket team, following a ball tampering scandal which led to the resignation of Darren Lehmann.

9.

On 4 February 2022, Justin Langer announced his resignation as head coach of the Australia men's team.

10.

Justin Langer's contract was set to expire in June 2022, and he turned down a short-term extension.

11.

Justin Langer made his Test debut against the West Indies at the Adelaide Oval, in January 1993.

12.

Justin Langer received a rough welcome against an in-form West Indian bowling attack, including being hit on the back of the head by his very first ball in Test cricket, delivered by Ian Bishop, who went on to become a close friend in later life.

13.

Justin Langer retained his place for the following tour of New Zealand.

14.

Justin Langer was dropped, and other than a few scattered appearances did not return to the Australian Test team until October 1998, for the tour of Pakistan.

15.

Justin Langer did not get dropped again and as an opening batsman he averaged 52.38 and scored 14 centuries in 44 matches; previously he scored 7 centuries in 41 matches at an average of 39.04.

16.

Justin Langer personally outscored the entire Pakistan side in the Perth Test of 2004.

17.

Justin Langer scored 191 and 97 while Pakistan made 179 and 72.

18.

Justin Langer captained the Prime Minister's XI in December 2005 in their match against the West Indies.

19.

However, the partnership had support from the Australian selectors and was only disrupted in the 2006 Summer series when Justin Langer was out with injury.

20.

Justin Langer was replaced by Mike Hussey and Phil Jaques for two tests.

21.

Justin Langer then suffered a number of injuries, increasing the pressure on selectors to drop him for rising star Phil Jaques.

22.

Justin Langer was selected over Jaques for the 2007 Ashes series, which turned out to be his last.

23.

Justin Langer scored an 80 and a century in the first test, but it was slim pickings to follow for him.

24.

On 1 January 2007, Justin Langer announced his retirement from Test cricket after the fifth Ashes Test against England, starting at the Sydney Cricket Ground the following day.

25.

Justin Langer came to the decision during the previous match in Melbourne, having earlier decided against retiring after the tour of South Africa to help Australia reclaim the Ashes.

26.

Justin Langer scored his first Test century against Pakistan at Peshawar in October 1998, scoring 116.

27.

Justin Langer scored his final Test century against England at The Gabba in November 2006.

28.

Justin Langer never made a century in the ODI format; his highest score was 36, which he made against India at Sharjah in 1994.

29.

Justin Langer became the highest run-scorer for Western Australia in 4-day matches, after passing Tom Moody's old record of 8853 runs on 5 December 2007 against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.

30.

On 5 March 2008, Justin Langer announced his retirement from Australian first-class domestic cricket.

31.

However, Justin Langer said that he would play another season for Somerset in county cricket.

32.

Justin Langer played for Western Australia in a career spanning 17 years, leaving as the highest run-scorer in Western Australia's history.

33.

Justin Langer played county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club from 1998 to 2000, captaining the side in 2000.

34.

Justin Langer went on to score centuries in his next two County Championship matches, and achieved 1,000 runs for the season after only eight matches.

35.

Justin Langer finished the season with the second highest runs total and batting average in the Championship, behind John Crawley on both counts.

36.

On 19 September 2007 it was announced that Justin Langer would stay with Somerset for the 2008 season.

37.

In 15 first-class matches for the county in 2007, Justin Langer scored 1215 runs at 57.85 and a further 764 in one-day competitions.

38.

Justin Langer commented in an interview with BBC Somerset that he was in discussions to potentially return at some point to the county in the future in a coaching capacity.

39.

Justin Langer played his last home game in English domestic cricket on 27 September 2009, captaining Somerset against Durham in the Nat West Pro40.

40.

Justin Langer's last act as Somerset captain was to lead the side to the second stage of the 2009 Twenty20 Champions League.

41.

In July 2017, Justin Langer was appointed to the board of the West Coast Eagles football club.

42.

In May 2018, Justin Langer was announced as the coach of the Australian national cricket team, and then in October 2019, Andrew McDonald was appointed as his assistant coach.

43.

Justin Langer is an alumnus of Perth schools Newman College and Aquinas College.

44.

The Justin Langer Shield is played between year sevens of Newman and Aquinas.

45.

Justin Langer is the nephew of Rob Langer, a left-handed batsman for Western Australia during the 1970s and 1980s.

46.

Justin Langer is married to his high school sweetheart, Sue, and has four daughters.

47.

Justin Langer is a martial artist and has obtained the rank of Shodan-Ho in Zen Do Kai.

48.

Justin Langer's first was entitled From Outback to Outfield: A Revealing Diary of Life on the County Cricket Circuit.

49.

Justin Langer is a devout Catholic, as was his Australian opening batsman partner Matthew Hayden.