Ashes the ultimate test of post-Langer regime: Hockley

Nottingham: Eighteen months after his decision to end Justin Langer’s tenure as Australian men’s coach, Nick Hockley admits that the team led by Pat Cummins and Andrew McDonald will be unfulfilled without an overall victory in this Ashes series.

As Cricket Australia chief executive, Hockley was the man in the middle of two entrenched positions in February last year as Langer and his former teammates campaigned for the former Test opener to get a long-term contract extension, while senior players and staff were equally convinced that it was time for change.

The compromise, widely criticised at the time, was to offer Langer a six-month extension after which he would be replaced. Upset at the short-term nature of the contract, Langer resigned, leaving McDonald to mentor the team in Pakistan and then take the job full-time after a 1-0 series win.

Since then, Australia accumulated enough points from Test match wins in Sri Lanka and India – either side of steamrolling West Indies and South Africa at home – to qualify for the World Test Championship final where India were soundly beaten.

However, Hockley is realistic about the fact that this tour and its leaders will not be considered successful unless they win an Ashes bout in England for the first time since 2001. Winning the Edgbaston epic was merely the first part of the job.

“I couldn’t be prouder, but that said we’ve only just begun. There’s four Tests to play and they’re extremely focused on a series win. Anything less would be a disappointment,” Hockley told this masthead.

“What’s very clear is the success we’ve seen in the WTC and the Ashes so far is the result of a huge amount of work, preparation, a lot of excellent planning, and I do think this group has had some really formative experiences. Particularly Pakistan, both conducting that tour but then also the nature of that series win has just given a lot of confidence.

“You’ve got a group who understand what they’re representing, and understand it takes super hard work to deliver results. Under Andrew and Pat’s leadership, it’s struck a really great balance of doing everything in their power to perform at the height of their potential, while also having a really calm and focused environment.”

Langer, who has since moved into commentary, took months to process his exit, and the generation of players he wore the baggy green with have been quick to criticise any missteps for the current team since.

Having been present for the WTC at the Oval and the Ashes opener in Birmingham, Hockley ventured to Nottingham to watch the opening Test of the multi-format women’s Ashes series, spending time with his predecessor James Sutherland as they both watched Sutherland’s daughter Annabel carve out a superb century.

Hockley said that following extensive talks with the ECB he was confident of finding a way to stage a marquee match between Australia and England in March 2027 to celebrate 150 years of Test cricket, reprising the memorable Centenary Test of 1977.

“The last two Test matches have shown what Test cricket means to people,” he said. “The last few days I’ve been inundated with messages both for the World Test Championship and the first Ashes Test from across the cricket world, so 150 years since the very first match is a really meaningful moment, a big milestone.

“The Centenary Test was a moment people talk about a lot. So we’re in active discussions with the ECB around how we celebrate that milestone. We’re working through the details of how and when we celebrate that moment.”

Looking ahead to the ICC’s annual conference in South Africa next month, Hockley said that it was important for all nations to balance their own interests with the bigger picture, as the latest revenue distribution model faces opposition from some countries for awarding nearly 40 per cent of the multibillion dollar pot to the BCCI.

“In terms of how that’s distributed, it’s a balance of where the money’s generated from and also seeking to invest,” Hockley said. “In terms of Australia’s input into those discussions, we’re very active participants in those discussions, in how that’s developed and what’s put forward, and have a representative on the ICC board.

“I think it’s incumbent on all of us to strike a balance around what’s in the best interests of each of our own countries, but then also what’s in the interests of world cricket. But the positive news for cricket is that the value within the game is growing, which means that we can invest in developing the game across all of the members.”

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