Australia head coach Justin Langer said that it is hard to put his feelings into words after guiding his team to their maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 title on Sunday, November 14, in Dubai.
The elated coach also hailed his players as "wonderful" and "amazing" after Australia crushed New Zealand by 8 wickets in the finale of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 to lift their maiden trophy on Sunday.
Langer said after the T20 World Cup 2021 victory, “Everyone that wins a World Cup says it’s hard to process, it’s hard to put in words, but this is such a wonderful group of people. Every coach and every captain says the same but we have got some amazing cricketers here.”
He further said that winning the T20 World Cup 2021 is a very special moment for everyone, especially for the senior players, while talking about reuniting the core of the team after a long time for the event.
The coach continued, “We haven’t had a chance to play together for different reasons for the last 12 months. When we all got back together, it was almost like a reunion. There are so many close relationships there, a very special moment for everyone.”
Langer also showered rich praise on Mitchell Marsh who played a stunning knock of 77* off 50 balls, as well as stitched a 92-run partnership for the second wicket with David Warner (53 runs off 38 balls) to help Australia chase down the 173 inside 8 overs to beat New Zealand by 8 wickets in the final.
He also asserted that Australia had confidence in itself despite facing some heartbreaking defeats against West Indies and Bangladesh just before the T20 World Cup 2021.
The coach said, “We knew when we came together how much talent we had. There’s enormous talent in the team. When we were in West Indies and Bangladesh, there were a few missing pieces, Mitch Marsh took one of those pieces and he’s been brilliant.”
The 50-year-old also lauded Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood for their consistent performance throughout the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE.
He added, “Zamps puts a smile on my face every time because he’s a little bit different and he’s a little bit hippie but he’s so competitive, he’s been so good in this form of the game. We see leg-spinners having an impact around the world and he’s doing that for Australia. Hazlewood - he didn’t play the last one-day WC because he had some back issues. He’s been sublime here; it’s been a great team effort.”
Speaking on the bio-bubble life, Langer said Australian players had fun both on and off the field and it played a very important role in his team’s success in the global tournament.
He signed off by saying, “We also embraced fun. In these situations, when everyone’s talking about bubble, these guys have had so much fun on and off the ground. In this form of the game, you actually it’s important to have fun and enjoy, the guys have done that. I think that was a really important part of the success here.”
(With NEWS 18 Inputs)
