Justin Langer

Justin Langer

Personal information
Full name	Justin Lee Langer
Nickname	JL, Alfie
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 354)	23 January 1993 v West Indies
Last Test	5 January 2007 v England
ODI debut (cap 117)	14 April 1994 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	25 May 1997 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1991 – present	Western Australia (squad no. 7)
2006 – present	Somerset (squad no. 5)
1998 – 2000	Middlesex
Career statistics
Competition Tests ODI FC LA Matches 105 8 319 204 Runs scored 7696 160 25682 6994 Batting average 45.27 32.00 51.05 39.29 100s/50s 23/30 0/0 78/97 11/49 Top score 250 36 342 146 Balls bowled 6 0 374 193 Wickets 0 – 5 7 Bowling average – – 40.80 30.71 5 wickets in innings – – 0 0 10 wickets in match – n/a 0 n/a Best bowling – – 2/17 3/51 Catches/stumpings 73/– 2/1 275/– 97/2
Source: Cricinfo, 19 September 2007

Justin Lee Langer (born 21 November 1970 in Perth) is a former Australian cricketer, more specificially a left-handed batsman. He is best known for being Matthew Hayden's opening partner in Test matches. Holding the title for being the most successful opening pair to open test cricket as of the end of the 2006/7 Ashes series Langer is also a solid gully fielder, and was very occasionally the wicket-keeper for the Australian one-day team. In January 2007 he retired from international cricket. He can play both aggressively and defensively, but has a reputation for grinding away. However, in a recent Wisden Australia article, Langer's Test strike rate was shown to be superior to that of noted strokemakers Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn.

Early Career

Langer after the 2nd Test vs England, 5 December 2006

Justin Langer debuted against the West Indies in Adelaide, in 1993. This test was most noted, for a famous run-chase by Australia, that fell just short. Langer made a name for himself by taking numerous blows in the first few balls of his international career, against bowlers such as Curtly Ambrose.

Langer only played 5 games, before being dropped. He was eventually selected four years later, for the Australian tour of Pakistan. The tour started disastrously for Langer, scoring lowly in the first game. This was compounded by receiving a golden duck in the first innings of the second game in Karachi. In the next innings, Langer was trapped for what was thought to be an LBW, that would have given Langer the most unwanted pair in cricket. However, umpire Steve Bucknor did not give it out, and Langer went on to score his first century in International cricket.

In November 1999 at Bellerive Oval in Hobart, he shared a match-winning 238-run partnership with Adam Gilchrist to rescue Australia from 126/5 chasing a victory target of 369 against Pakistan. The century scored in this innings was scored in a long 388 minutes, an Australian record.

2001-2002

Langer celebrates scoring 50 for Somerset

Langer was number 3 batsman until 2001 when he was dropped after failing to convert a series of starts during Australia's 2-1 loss in India. Shortly after though, he replaced Michael Slater at the top of the order for the final 2001 Ashes series Test at the Oval where he celebrated his return with a century. He has not looked back since: as an opening batsman, he averaged 52.38 and has scored 14 centuries in 44 matches; previously he scored 7 centuries in 41 matches at an average of 39.04. Langer returned to Australia in the 02-03 Ashes series, where he begun a very successful partnership with Matthew Hayden. In this series, Langer scored his top score of 250 against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

2003-2007

Langer personally outscored the entire Pakistan side in Perth test of 2004. He scored 191 and 97 in the first innings while Pakistan made 179 and 72. It was the first occasion of a player being dismissed in both the 190's and 90's in a Test.

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

In the 2005 Ashes Series, Langer top-scored for an unsuccessful Australian team, with 391 in the series. His top score was 102, scored in the final test.

After this, pressure was mounting on the opening partnership of Hayden and Langer. Calls were coming to have the pair replaced by younger duo, that would ensure the future and stability of the team to come. However, the partnership had support from the Australian selectors, and was only disrupted in the 2006 Summer series when Langer was out with injury. He was replaced by Mike Hussey and Phil Jaques for two tests.

Langer then suffered a number of injuries, increasing the pressure on selectors to drop Langer for rising star Phil Jaques. However, Langer was selected over Jaques for the 2007 Ashes series, which would turn out to be his last. Langer scored an 80 in the first test, but it was slim pickings to follow for him.

Langer was most recently a member of the Australian Test team but not the one-day team, despite being named as the ING Cup's player of the season in 2002/03. Langer was the captain of the Western Warriors, until the end of the 2006/2007 season. The captaincy has since been given to Marcus North.

Retirement From International Cricket

Justin Langer's career performance graph

On 1 January, 2007, Langer announced his retirement from Test cricket after the fifth Ashes Test against England, starting at the Sydney Cricket Ground the following day. Somerset CCC also announced on the same day that Langer had agreed to return to the English county in 2007 as captain, and possibly extend his stay until 2008 in a similar deal to that agreed by fellow international retiree, Shane Warne with Hampshire CCC Langer is also staying on with the Western Warriors, for at least one more season.

County Cricket

File:Langerbowled.jpg

Langer being bowled at Somerset CCC

He played county cricket for Middlesex CCC (1998-2000) and was captain in 2000. In June 2006 it was announced that Langer would join Somerset CCC from late June for six weeks, while fellow countryman Dan Cullen is on duty with Australia A.

File:JustinLatsomerset.JPG

Langer as captain at Somerset, June 27 2007

On 20 July 2006, he made his highest first-class score of 342 playing for Somerset in a County Championship match versus Surrey at the Woodbridge Road ground in Guildford. This was also the highest score ever by a Somerset batsman, breaking the record of Sir Vivian Richards who made 322 against Warwickshire at Taunton in 1985. This score of 342 is the 10th highest score in a first-class match in England.

On 20th April, 2007 he became the first Somerset player to score two triple centuries in the county championship.

On 19 September 2007 it was announced that Langer would stay with Somerset (as captain) for the 2008 season. In 15 first-class matches for the county in 2007 Langer has scored 1215 runs at 57.85 and he has added another 764 in the one-day competitions.

Famous Duals

Langer is famous for his trilogy of duals with Shoaib Akhtar. They both have great respect for each other as well as fear. Langer once said he see's nightmares because of his Thunderbolt Bouncers and good length deliveries, Shoaib answered that he see's nightmares because of langers square cuts, cover drives, pulls and hooks.

During a match in Peshawar in 1998 langer and Mark Taylor had a massive partnership. Shoaib as usual was bowling at his fastest on a batsmens pradise. We was accompanied by Mohammad Zahid who is rated by Brian Lara as the fastest bowler he ever faced.

Langer in that match played a square drive of Shoaib that went for four between deep point and deep backward point. Shoaib rates this shoot as the best stroke played by a batsman against his bowling.

Makhaya Ntini and Curtly Ambrose are the very few bowlers who have been able to use their pace and accuracy to presure langer.Langer was hit by a devestating bouncer from Ntini (South Africa v Australia, 3rd Test, Jo'burg, 2nd day).

Langer had undergone scans in hospital after being struck on the head by Makhaya Ntini and suffering concussion during his 100th Test, but has been cleared of serious injury. He was hit with the first ball of Australia's innings on the second day, at Johannesburg, and was helped from the field appearing unsteady. Despite the risk of being killed if hit on the head again, Langer padded up to bat if he had to. Brett Lee scored the winning runs before he was needed, however.

Personal Life

Justin is an old boy of Aquinas College, Perth, the nephew of Rob Langer, a left-handed batsman for Western Australia during the 1970s and 1980s. Justin Langer has given speeches at the school, and has a room entitled "The Langer Room" named after him in the College's premier pavilion, The Churack Pavillion. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Sue, and has four daughters: Jessica, 9; Ali-Rose, 8: Sophie, 5: and Grace, 13 months.

Justin is also a talented Martial Artist. He has obtained the rank of blackbelt in Zen Do Kai. Langer also stepped in the ring with Vic Darchinyan for two rounds.

Langer has written three books, the latest one, an autobiography released after his blockbuster return from rock bottom in 2001, entitled 'The Power of Passion'. More recently, he has released a book with Steve Harmison entitled 'Ashes Frontline: The Ashes War Diaries of Steve Harmison and Justin Langer' about the 2006/7 Ashes series in Australia. His first book was entitled 'From Outback to Outfield: A Revealing Diary of Life on the County Cricket Circuit'.

External links

• Cricket-Online player profile - Justin Langer
• Cricinfo player profile
• TimesOnline- The Big Interview: Justin Langer