Matthew Hayden refused to be involved in a situation where there were rifts among players and management, which ruined Langer’s exit. Following his controversial departure from Australia in 2022, close friend Justin Langer, former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden, has made it clear that he will not be coaching the national team.
After the 2021–2022 season, Justin Langer was offered a meager six-month contract extension, which he declined. He had guided the side through the difficult time following “sandpaper-gate,” winning the Ashes in England, the home game, and their first-ever T20 World Cup. The 52-year-old expressed his desire to coach the Australian team when asked about the possibilities.
“No, I wouldn’t coach Australia. I would have no interest in trying to coach Australia after what happened to Justin and his treatment; I just don’t think it would be enjoyable. I adore broadcasting on the current Australian cricket squad and I adore Australian cricket. Hayden told Wisden Cricket Monthly, “I think they’re a fantastic team, but in terms of an investment, no, it’s not something that I’d even consider.”
“The current leader of Australian cricket is not a former great.” In Matthew Hayden
During the most recent T20 World Cup in Australia, the former Australia opener acted as a mentor for the Pakistan cricket team, helping them to make it to the final before losing to England. But the comments from the former southpaw from Australia went beyond only his connection with Langer. He voiced his worries on the Australian cricket team’s organizational structure lacking prior cricket champions.
The fact that Australian cricket isn’t presently led by a former great is rather intriguing. Never one. Not as a coach, not as a board director, not as the chairman of selectors. There is no tier of leadership in that team that has a former all-star Australian cricket player functioning within it. We’ve just finished three fantastic decades or periods of Australian cricket, so that surprises me, Hayden said.