Justin Langer admits he would have tampered the ball if Allan Border asked him
Justin Langer, the newly appointed Australian team head coach, empathizes with young Cameron Bancroft and admits that it would have been tough to say no to senior players if they had asked him to tamper the ball. However, he also insisted that his seniors would have never asked him to do so.
New Australia cricket coach Justin Langer told 9 News that he has empathy for young batsman Cameron Bancroft, who was caught roughening up the ball by sandpaper in the third Test against South Africa, at the behest of the senior players. Bancroft, David Warner, and Steve Smith were consequently suspended.
Langer had previously mentioned that he would welcome the banned trio into the team if they came in line with the behavioral standards of the team. And now he went on to state that had Allan Border ordered him to tamper the ball, he would have followed the instructions. Â
âI walked into this changeroom â this Australian cricket change room with Allan Border, Steve Waugh, David Boon and Ian Healy and Bobby Simpson leading it. If Allan Border had asked me to tamper with the ball I wouldâve. I wouldâve because I would be too scared not to,â said Langer.
However, he was also quick to point out that the Australian legends like Allan Border and Bobby Simpson would never have asked him to do anything like that, further emphasizing that Simpson would have killed anyone who brought disrespect to the game.
âThe difference is Allan Border would never have asked me and Bobby Simpson wouldâve killed me! He wouldâve killed anyone who bought the game into disrepute,â he added.
Langer has promised to revive the Australian team and fix their culture. He insisted that the punishment given to the trio was just because bending the rules and cheating is not something to be taken lightly. Â
âTheyâre really tough sanctions â that said, they should be,â he said. âAnd the reasons they should be because weâve said forever, we donât bend the rules. We donât cheat.â
