Head coach Justin Langer believes that the humiliation suffered at the hands of arch-rivals England in the just-concluded ODI and T20 series will help Australia emerge a better unit in the future. Langer emphasized that his team will take huge learnings out of the drubbings it received on a really difficult tour.
There is a deeper point in Langer's statement. Australia was playing this series without their key players, having lost Steve Smith and David Warner to the ball-tampering saga and their main fast bowling trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins to injuries. All of these are likely to be the pillars of the Australian team when it takes the field in the World Cup next year.
After the loss in the lone T20 International on Wednesday, 27th June, Langer was quoted telling the reporters, "There's light at the end of the tunnel, there's no doubt about that, We knew it was going to be a big job knowing where we came from in South Africa. On the surface, it looks like a complete disaster but we have talked about a team for the World Cup and the Ashes and I think we have unlocked a few answers, but it hurts when you get beaten -- particularly in England."
Langer, who wasn't a gifted batsman but played with extreme determination and grit in his time, is taking inspiration from his own 105 Tests old career for Australia.
He recalled, "My first Test match was against the West Indies and it was pretty scary, I remember David Boon saying 'Test cricket will never get tougher than this'. I thought he was just being nice to me but it was so true. I learnt something from it and I was tougher from it"
"When you look at Trent Bridge for our young blokes to get hit for 480-something, it doesn't get tougher, Hopefully, it will add some layers to their character and not scars. A few of the boys have walked into the jungle and we'll see how they go, not only over the next six months but over the next two or three or 10 years."
Langer knows that the experienced players will be back at some time in the future but he reiterated the need for young cricketers in the side currently, to take as many learnings out of this series against England as possible.
He said, "If we can get some of those guys learning and growing and if some of the other guys are available, who knows what could happen in 12 months' time? We've got young guys coming in against the best one day team in the world, I've been absolutely blown away by how well England are playing. They're at the peak of their powers right now."
(Inputs from CricketNext)
