Last Updated on 8 minutes ago by Charbel Coorey
Justin Langer has heaped praise on Ben Stokes following the all-rounder’s retirement from international cricket. Stokes called time on his 122-Test career soon after becoming the second player after Jacques Kallis to take 250+ wickets and score 7,000 runs in the format.
England now have a huge gap to fill both in terms of the captaincy and replacing Stokes the cricketer.
Justin Langer: “Ben Stokes was a nightmare to coach against”
Langer has long been an admirer of Stokes, whose character is something he can relate to. In a LinkedIn post, the former Australia opener and coach says Stokes was a nightmare to coach against, reminiscing on the classic Headingley Test of 2019.
“2,501 days. That’s how long it’s been since Ben Stokes stood at Headingley and ripped the Ashes out of our hands,” Langer wrote.
“I counted. Because the number felt like it ought to mean something.
“Last Monday night, I was settled in front of the fire, glass of red in hand, not a care in the world. Then I flicked over to the final day of England’s Test against New Zealand and the broadcaster was replaying that 2019 innings.
“In an instant, my relaxed evening was gone. There has never been a lower moment in my coaching life.”
Langer, who currently coaches the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League, says the memorable moments players like Stokes deliver matter so much. Following Stokes’s retirement, Langer’s view on that match has shifted from disappointment to gratitude.
“And now Stokes has called time. Burnt out, in his own words with no “more fight left in me,” Langer continued.
“Here’s the strange part. The more I sat with it this week, the more I felt something closer to gratitude than disappointment.
“Because heroes are not built to last forever. That is precisely what makes the moments they give us matter so much. Stokes was a nightmare to coach against and the very best of what this game of ours can be.
“I would have him in my team any day of the week.”
England are now in a difficult predicament. Brendon McCullum’s position has been questioned far and wide, including by Michael Vaughan who wrote that the coach and Rob Key must go.
Langer has been touted as a potential replacement in the past, and it would be interesting to see if England opt for a change of approach with less than a year out until the 2027 Ashes.
