Justin Langer
 | |
Source: [1], 28 December 2006 |
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. Langer is also a solid gully fielder, and was very occasionally the wicketkeeper for the Australian one-day team. In January 2007 he retired from international test cricket, but will continue to play first-class state 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. Langer was a 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 where he celebrated his return with a century. He has not looked back since: as an opening batsman, he averages 52.38 and has scored 14 centuries in 44 matches; previously he scored 7 centuries in 41 matches at an average of 39.04.
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.
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 is the current captain of the Western Warriors.
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 [1]
He captained the Prime Minister's XI in December 2005 in their match against the West Indies.
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 1 January, 2007, Langer announced he will retire from Test cricket after the fifth Ashes Test against England, starting at the Sydney Cricket Ground the following day[2]. 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[3]
Justin is an old boy of Aquinas College, Perth. He has given speeches at the school, and has a room entitled "The Langer Room" named after him in the College's premier pavillion, The Churack Pavillion.[citation needed] He is married and has four daughters. Justin played his last Test match against England on 2-5 January 2007 alongside 2 other retirees in Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath[citation needed]
References
External links
- 1970 births
- Living people
- Australian Roman Catholics
- Australian ODI cricketers
- Australian Test cricketers
- Australian cricketers
- Middlesex cricket captains
- Middlesex cricketers
- Somerset cricketers
- Western Australia cricketers
- Western Australian Sports Star of the Year winners
- Wisden Cricketers of the Year
- Aquinas College, Perth
- German Australians