Cricket Australia denies 'angry' meeting with Justin Langer; but keeps contract extension under wraps

Melbourne, February 1: Cricket Australia on Tuesday (February 1) rejected the claim of head coach Justin Langer being asked to apply for the position once again.

Langer's contract is set to expire later this year, and speculations are rife whether he will continue on as the coach even after winning the T20 World Cup and Ashes.

On Monday, Australian media reported that Langer was involved in a heated exchange with Cricket Australia officials where he was asked re-apply for the head coach position.

“While we do not comment on confidential conversations, we felt on this occasion it was important to correct the record.

“Among other false claims, we reject outright the assertion that the meeting was fiery or heated and that Justin was asked to reapply for his job," Cricket Australia said in a statement, as reported by cricket.com.au.

"Justin has always been contracted as Head Coach through to the middle of this year and we have consistently maintained that discussions around the future of the role would commence following the conclusion of the men's Ashes series.

“The Friday's meeting was the first time that we had the opportunity to meet together in person, reflect on the team's success and discuss the road ahead. We will continue with this process and make an announcement once it is complete," it added.

Langer was appointed as the men's team coach in 2018 after the Sandpaper Gate which saw David Warner, Steve Smith serving out one-year bans.

Australia will next lock horns against Sri Lanka in a five-match T20I series, and then the side is slated to tour Pakistan for a multi-format series.

The Aussies have also in their radar a home T20 World Cup, the 2022 summer’s Test opponents South Africa and the West Indies, plus the 2023 Ashes. Australia had retained the Ashes in 2021-2022, winning the series 4-0 with a resounding performance against England.