MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 27: Former Australian cricketer Justin Langer pictured during an Australian Cricket Hall of Fame Presentation at Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 27, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images for the Australian Cricketers' Association)
Justin Langer has been making headlines across the course of the past week after departing his post as the head coach of the Australian XI, a position he had held since 2018.
While his coaching style and methods have been debated, ad nauseam, by past and present players, the success of his playing career was significantly less controversial.
Langer turned himself from a domestic talent for Western Australia into one of Australia’s greatest ever top-order batters. With opening partner Matthew Hayden, they created Australia’s most prolific opening line-up, ranking as number two for total runs by averaging a partnership of 51.41 for a total of 5655 runs.
Individually, the punchy opener played in 105 tests and eight one-day internationals throughout his career and finished with 23 centuries at an average of 45.27.
For an Australian player, Langer, currently, has the 29th highest batting average, is eighth highest in total runs and batted in the seventh most innings. His high score of 250 ranks equals 12th amongst Australian players.
In the wake of his departure as the nation's steward, we took a look at five of Justin Langer’s career-best moments with the bat in hand.
In the first match of Pakistan’s 2004-2005 tour of Australia, both the hosts and tourists were looking to stamp their authority on the best of three series.
Pakistan elected to field after winning the toss at the WACA, which looked to be the right decision early on in the match. Langer managed to fend off a range of threatening deliveries but saw his teammates fall around him.
Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami tore through the openers, leaving a stunned Perth crowd silent at 5-78.
With Michael Clarke falling for a single run, Adam Gilchrist came into the crease. He was the last recognised batsman, with only the bowlers left to follow.
In a series-altering performance, the pair put on a 152-run partnership. Langer led the way with a controlled innings, managing to score 191 runs before falling just before 200. Australia managed 381 for the innings, with Langer scoring over half of Australia’s total score.
He turned the tide of the match, allowing his side to post a respectable score. Pakistan was impacted by allowing the Aussies back into the match, responding with only 179.
The second innings was more of a team effort, with Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn and Langer all making over 97. Martyn was the only one who was able to reach the ton. Langer fell for 97, with Ponting making 98.
With Pakistan only reaching 72 in the second innings, Australia won by a whopping 491 runs. Langer’s total of 288 for the match surpassed Pakistan’s total of 251 for the match.
Over the course of Langer’s career, he proved to be an elite international batsman. With an average of 45.27, he showed the class to be able to pile on runs no matter who he was facing.
One of the teams that Langer found the most success in playing against was Pakistan. His average of 56.95 when playing the side from the subcontinent was his second-highest. Performances like this in 1999 are examples of the high-level batting he displayed against the Pakistani bowlers.
After bowling Pakistan out for 155, it appeared Australia was in a commanding position, with McGrath, Fleming and Kasprowicz taking three, three and four wickets respectively.
Australia wasn’t able to capitalise on that initial domination, however, suffering a few cheap wickets early. When Ponting came into the crease at number six, Australia was in trouble. They were 4-54 and struggling to take hold of the game.
The pitch was looking good for the bowlers, with 14 wickets taken for only 210 runs.
Ponting and Langer, however, were able to turn it around putting on a masterclass batting display. The pair put on a massive 327 run partnership that was the 4th highest tally at the time. To date, it is still the 9th highest 5th wicket partnership.
Langer managed 144 runs to steady the team after those early wickets. Batting for 437 minutes and 286 balls, he slowed the game down and put the momentum back in the Aussie’s favour. His control and composure allowed Ponting to smash 197, just falling short of the double century.
The partnership also nearly equated for three-quarters of the teams’ total runs. Adam Gilchrist (28) was the only other Australian to score more than 15 runs in the innings.
The innings put the Aussies in an unbeatable position, allowing the home side to win by an innings and 20 runs. It was the final match in the series, with Australia winning 3-0. Langer was named the player of the series scoring 331 runs throughout. That included back-to-back centuries in Tests two and three.
After winning the first two games of India’s 1990/00 tour of Australia, the home team was looking to finish off a 3-0 sweep of their guests.
After an impressive pace attack from McGrath and Lee, the Indians were bowled out for only 150, their second-lowest tally of the series.
Openers Greg Blewett and Michael Slater were primed to get the team off to a big start and put the game out of reach.
Instead, Slater got out cheaply for a single run, and Blewett made 19. That meant that it was up to Langer to impose himself in the match. In marathon innings, Langer batted for over 500 minutes and faced 355 balls.
His lengthy innings resulted in his highest run tally at the time, 223 runs. This was close to 50 per cent more than the visiting team scored in their first innings. By the end of his career, he would amass that score only one other time.
Steve Waugh (57) and Ricky Ponting (141) were his main partners at the crease throughout the innings, but it was Langer who stole the show.
India was then bowled out for 261 runs, giving Australia a win by an innings and 141 runs.
Despite his heroic batting, he was beaten out for the player of the match. McGrath took five wickets in both innings and was awarded the honours instead.
Throughout his career, Langer has had the most success against his Trans-Tasman rivals. Averaging 62.94, he scored at least a half-century in nearly 40 per cent of his innings against New Zealand.
Finishing with five 50s and four 100s, his 2004 performance against New Zealand was his most impressive.
In the first game of the series, Langer only managed 34 runs as middle-order batters Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrest both reached triple figures. Langer was looking to make up for that performance and was on the attack from the outset.
While normally playing at a slower pace, Langer showed his intent early blasting the Kiwi bowlers all around the ground. Hitting a four in the first ball of the match, he then hit another four in the second over jumping out to 23 runs off just ten deliveries.
While he wasn't able to keep the same pace, he maintained the same intensity as the New Zealand bowlers who had no answer for Langer's batting.
After managing a partnership of 137 with Matthew Hayden, he subsequently had partnerships of over 100 with both Ricky Ponting and Darren Lehmann.
By the time he was out, Langer had 215 runs and Australia was 4-445.
In the second innings, he fell just four short of a half-century but still finished with 261 runs for the match.
New Zealand scored 251 in their first innings and 250 in their second. The win gave Australia a 2-0 lead, winning them the best-of-three series.
His game-winning first innings won him the player of the match award, scoring over half the score of the entire New Zealand team.
On Boxing Day, 2002, in front of nearly 65,000 fans, Langer stepped onto the crease with his long-time opening partner Matthew Hayden. Little did either of them know that this match was going to be a historic one for 'JL'.
Hayden and Langer got out to a blistering start, dominating at the crease and making the English bowlers pay for any poor deliveries. Hayden was the first wicket to fall, with Australia in a comfortable position at 1-195.
Langer was in commanding form, as he made his century. He continued to pile on the runs, as some of his other teammates did not have the same success.
As he made his way towards 200, he had help from some of his fellow teammates. Both Steve Waugh and Martin Love were able to establish partnerships of over 130 with Langer.
Reaching 223, he tied his previous best tally which he made against India in 2000. After getting his highest individual tally, he reached 250 before falling to a faster delivery by spin bowler, Richard Dawson.
By the end of the innings, he had faced 407 deliveries and batted for all but ten of the 558 minutes that Australia was at the crease. His 30 4s and one six helped the Aussies declare at 6-551.
The bowlers were able to hold England to 270 in the first innings while managing to score a more respectful 387 in their second.
With Australia left with 107 runs to win, Langer managed 24 runs before falling LBW to Andy Caddick. Australia still scrambled its way to a five-wicket win on the last day of the match.
Langer’s first innings ended up being his highest total, and the best individual innings in his career. In front of a large and vocal MCG crowd, his 250-run innings will go down as one of the most memorable in his impressive career.