Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson has lashed out at the Test skipper Pat Cummins, calling him gutless, for not backing Justin Langer publicly when he was facing scrutiny by the Cricket Australia while reviewing his tenure as head coach for renewal.
Langer resigned as the head coach of the Australian cricket team last week, almost five months before his contract expired.
He was given a short-term contract but he the offer, saying there were some players and support staff who didn’t want him to continue and hence decided to leave the job for the sake of Australian cricket. Langer also said that the Australian media depicted his honesty, respect, trust, truthfulness, and performance "in a different way."
Following Langer’s resignation, Johnson launched a scathing attack on Cummins, saying the Test skipper might have delivered with the ball, but he has failed his first big test as captain pretty miserably.
According to Fox Sports, Johnson wrote in a column for The West Australian: “Pat Cummins has been lauded as some type of cricketing saint since his elevation to the top job this summer. Cummins might have delivered with the ball during the Ashes series, but he has failed his first big test as captain pretty miserably.”
The former pacer added, “He had plenty of public opportunities to endorse an extension for Langer. So when he let it through to the keeper every time, it became pretty obvious he didn't want it to happen. Cummins holds a lot of power and must have been central to what's happened.
He's clearly had an agenda to get in a coach he wants. His recent interviews have been gutless by not respecting his coach when he could have been upfront from the start.”
He signed off by saying, “The baggy green is hyped as the most revered symbol in Australian sport. But what does it stand for now? In the wake of the disgraceful white-anting of Langer as a coach, which led to his resignation on Saturday, it stands for selfishness.”
(With ANI Inputs)
