‘The public are confused’: Langer worried by unstable Ashes batting order

Justin Langer has declared Cameron Green must bat at No.3 in the Ashes, as the former national coach voiced concern about the instability of the Australian batting order ahead of a defining summer for the teams of Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes.

At the same time Australian cricket’s power brokers were meeting in Melbourne to discuss the future of the Big Bash League, Langer also warned against rushing to sell-off teams after his recent experience of the Hundred in England.

Cricket Australia rolled out former fast bowler Merv Hughes at the MCG to promote 50 days until the start of the Ashes, and he offered a typical line about England’s Bazballers not being able to “bully” Australia on home soil.

But former Australian opener Langer said on the other side of the country that during his time coaching the London Spirit he was made well aware that the tourists think an uncertain Australian batting order is their best chance to regain the urn this summer.

“It’s unprecedented that Australia go into an Ashes without a really solid top three. England are aware,” Langer said in Perth. “There’s a lot of talk about that. With their bowling attack, if they can exploit Australia’s top order early, then you know that’s where they’ll be getting their optimism from.

“I think Usman Khawaja has had six opening partners in a year. There’s that instability. It can’t be healthy. That’s the truth.

“We’re sort of getting to that point where we’re having a shootout every year for the opening batter. The very fact that we’re talking about it, and the public are a bit confused about it, that’s saying something.”

Asked about Green’s position, Langer was adamant that the 26-year-old should be kept in the No.3 spot he held down creditably on difficult pitches in the Caribbean earlier in the year.

“He has to bat No.3, in my opinion, because otherwise there’s too much chopping and changing,” Langer said. “He batted at three in the world Test championship. He then batted at three in really tough conditions in a three-nil winning series for Australia, and he did a good job.

“He actually showed that he could play in that position. He averages 47, I think, in Sheffield Shield cricket. None of the others average over 40. Cameron Green domestically, you’d have to say is the best performing player and often the best performing player is at No.3. I’d definitely stick with him.

“They’ve got to find some continuity. It’s anyone’s guess who the next opener is going to be, but I think he should bat No.3.”

Hughes, meanwhile, said Australia’s bowling attack was a cut above other sides that England have tried to attack over the past few years.

“They’ve been playing an aggressive brand of cricket, and it’s no different to what Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, [and] David Warner have done over the years,” Hughes said. “So it’s not new to Test cricket.

“While England might be able to bully other teams, when you’ve got guys of the experience of Nathan Lyon, Starc, Hazlewood, [and] Boland – good luck trying to intimidate those. So it’s going to be an interesting summer.”

As for the future of the BBL, Langer said that he hoped decision-makers would consider their options carefully and not rush to sell-off clubs. Instead, he reckoned it was worth watching how the recent sales of clubs in the UK settled down over a year or two before making a similar jump.

“Australian cricket needs to hold their nerve and just see how it all plays out in the Hundred, that’s what I’d say,” Langer said. “Australian cricket, like English cricket, is very different to South African cricket, [and] West Indies cricket. They hold their own still, financially and in all different areas.

“So they’re talking about jumping on the wave or getting left behind – the BBL is a great tournament and has been for a long time. The Hundred is different, it’s only on for four weeks with the finals. Is privatisation the answer? Time will tell, but I would like to see Australian cricket hold their nerve and see how it goes over the next year or two years.

“There’s the perfect case study there in the Hundred and see how it works. There’s a lot of talk about it, the obvious thing is to jump on board and do it, sometimes the obvious thing isn’t the right thing to do.”