Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke reckons Pat Cummins must clear the air surrounding the Justin Langer saga. Clarke believes that Cummins’ reputation has taken a hit after Langer’s resignation as the Head Coach of the men’s team.
It must be noted that Langer’s tenure ended following Australia’s 4-0 win in home Ashes. While many current and former Aussie cricketers batted for Langer’s contract extension, the Australian Test skipper didn’t do so. Notably, Langer received a short-term contract which he didn’t accept and parted ways with the national team.
“The Australian public isn’t stupid and this is my point with Pat Cummins. His reputation is squeaky-clean. Right now, it has taken a hit until he stands there and voices his opinion. Look what Mitchell Johnson said about Pat Cummins. A teammate, a friend of his has smoked him,” Clarke said on The Big Sports Breakfast, as reported by Fox Sports on Monday.
“My advice to Patty is he has got to stand there. He needs to tell the fans where he sits on this because everyone thinks it is Patty who made the decision. That accountability sits with him. He is trying to honor both parties and has done it very well. He is trying to look after Cricket Australia. I don’t like seeing Pat get smacked for this because I think he is in a lose-lose situation. He sits right in the middle,” he added.
Meanwhile, Langer’s resignation as the Head Coach has invoked a lot of hostile reactions from former Australian cricketers like Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor. Mitchell Johnson even went on to call Cummins “gutless” and said that the captain has an agenda to bring his own coach.
“I saw Mitchell Johnson’s comments, he smoked him. I think a lot of people are thinking what Mitch is thinking. You’ve got the likes of Mark Taylor talking about it, Steve Waugh making comments, Ricky Ponting’s comments are very strong,” opined Clarke.
“When Steve Waugh comes out and says something that’s big. He’s not paid by anyone. For him to come out and make a comment, this thing is heavy. You’ve got past legends fuming with how a 100-Test player and very successful coach has been treated,” he further said.
