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Windies tour not a job audition: Langer

Justin Langer has a number of selection headaches in his role of interim coach of the Australian cricket side on the tour of the West Indies.

Interim coach Justin Langer is treating Australia's tour of the West Indies as a learning experience, not an audition for cricket's top job.

The man considered the likely heir to national coach Darren Lehmann's throne said the ODI tri-series was not a chance for him to prove his worth.

"I don't see it as an audition, I see it as an experience and a great opportunity," Langer said.

"There is no doubt I will learn lessons."

With Lehmann, who is taking a break, expected to stay on until the end of the 2019 Ashes and World Cup, the upcoming series against the West Indies and South Africa comes at a peculiar time for Australia in the 50-over game.

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With the second half of last summer largely geared towards the World Twenty20, attention is again starting to turn to the long-term set-up of the national ODI side.

Spinners Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon will again go head-to-head, but with turning tracks expected to be dished up in the Caribbean, there is scope for both of them to join allrounder Glenn Maxwell in the same XI.

"In Guyana maybe we will play more than just the one of them one," Langer said.

"We might look at how many left-handers and how many right-handers are in the different opposition combinations."

There is a similar logjam at the top of the order, where Usman Khawaja has been in and out of the opening role in place of the regular combination of David Warner and Aaron Finch.

But Langer said there was no reason why all three couldn't play - as they did during the World Twenty20 when one played lower down the order.

"Three into three goes," Langer said when asked how he would squeeze one out.

"The beautiful thing for me is there is competition again in Australian cricket."

Australia play their first match against West Indies on Sunday, while South Africa play the hosts on Friday.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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