Australian skipper Steven Smith believes that Justin Langer will coach the team differently to incumbent coach Darren Lehmann. Langer was temporarily appointed for the post and will be coaching the national side for the ODI tri-series in the West indies in June.
Langer, who is currently the coach of the Western Australian team, took the place after Lehmann was given a rest after 18 months of continual work. Smith said that the southpaw had a different approach compared to Lehmann. "The Western Australia boys have big raps on him, and they love what he brings to their team. I'm sure he'll be fantastic around the Australian boys as well," he told foxsports.com.au.
"JL's (Justin Langer) a bit of a fitness freak and very intense with that, whereas Boof's (Lehmann) probably the opposite. He'd probably prefer to be out drinking a beer somewhere," he added. Smith will be leading the team without Lehmann's assistance for the first time in the tri-series against South Africa and West Indies.
Langer has had a successful career as a coach, guiding Perth Scorchers to two Big Bash League titles, two Sheffield Shield finals and one Matador Cup title. The 45-year-old is also viewed as the successor for Lehmann, whose contract will end in June 2017. But Lehmann has hinted that he would probably quit only after Australia's tour of England in 2019.
Also read: Reports: Justin Langer emerges as frontrunner for India coach's job
Smith said that the young Australian team would have a different experience with Langer. "We've got a pretty young group on this particular tour so I think it will be good for us to experience something just a little bit different." Lehmann had earlier lauded his former teammate, saying that his inclusion would be refreshing for the team and that his records are enough to prove his success as a coach.
Langer, who has played 105 matches for Australia, was a part of the Australian coaching side during Mickey Arthur's regime. He was the batting coach and he had mentored Smith, who was then a new face in the national team.
Smith praised the former opener and said that he had helped him fine-tune his batting skills. "I was always playing on my front foot back then, and that was getting me in trouble. He got me on the path of developing a back foot, we did a lot work on that and it certainly helped," Smith recalled.
Australia's first match of the tri-series is scheduled to be played on June 5 against West Indies.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!
