The Australian cricket team had a forgettable home summer as they conceded the Test series 2-1 to an under-strength Indian side.
In the wake of the series defeat, a report published in the Sydney Morning Herald, quoting multiple sources close to the team set-up, claimed that everything is not well between the Australian cricketers and head coach Justin Langer as the latter’s intense “micro-management” coaching style hasn’t reportedly been liked by a lot of players.
Moreover, Langer also spoke to the newspaper and rubbished the claims, saying it “couldn’t be further from the truth”.
Amid the recent development, former Australia skipper Michael Clarke has said that if a player spoke to the media instead of directly addressing it in the dressing room then it was a "weak" act.
He also added that Langer should identify the player and confront him.
"This behind closed doors and going to a journalist, source said is very weak,” Clarke said on NSW’s Big Sports Breakfast, according to Fox Cricket.
“I hope that it hasn’t been the case, I hope it’s just a story creating a headline and a player hasn’t gone behind Lang’s back. I think it’s weak you don’t put the players name to it. I hope JL does find out who the player is and confronts him," he added.
“If players feel this way, this is not the right way to go about it, this is going to cause chaos. Go and speak to JL and speak to the senior players. A lot of the time it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. I still think you can find a way to have that conversation… without getting a black mark and saying you’re not getting picked again," he further remarked.
According to the report published last week, Langer had barred a player from carrying a toasted sandwich in his pocket to have as a snack on the field during the fourth Test in Brisbane.
“Langer is tough as well, his character is hard. He will want these guys to know that if you are going to be successful at the highest level, every part of what we do is we challenge ourselves and we look to get better,” Clarke said.
“What comes with that is some people don’t like that because he is very much on that disciplined side of a head coach or as a player. For some players that don’t want to go to training and train for four hours, or some people that don’t want to turn up to a team meeting and go through every single player.
“No doubt it is not going to be perfect for everyone. But that’s his style. Even if people have beef with that or don’t feel comfortable, go and talk to Lang about it or Painey as captain and try to get the best out of each other," he concluded.
