Cricket in Western Australia has gone from strength to strength since Justin Langer took over as coach. Now, Perth Scorchers have the chance for a third straight BBL title.
Tristan Lavalette21-Jan-2016Sometime before Friday’s BBL semi-final showdown with Melbourne Stars at the MCG, Perth Scorchers coach Justin Langer will meet with revered Australian Rules football coach Alastair Clarkson. A get-together of two of Australia’s most hardnosed coaches is revealing, though hardly surprising. There are many parallels between the tenacious characters credited with almost single-handedly resurrecting their respective teams.As senior coach of three-time defending Australian Football League (AFL) premiers Hawthorn, Clarkson has transformed a group of misfits into a juggernaut. In 11 seasons with Clarkson at the helm, the Hawks have played in five grand finals – winning four- and stamped themselves as once again the AFL’s undisputed powerhouse after being the trendsetters in the 1970s and ’80s.You feel Langer has used Clarkson’s ascension with the Hawks as a template in his own coaching blueprint with Western Australia and the Scorchers. If they defeat the Stars, the Scorchers will compete in their fifth consecutive BBL final on Sunday.Under Langer, the Scorchers have played in three straight BBL finals, winning the last two. Western Australia have been runner-up in the Sheffield Shield the past two seasons having not previously made a final since 1999. They also won the 2014-15 Matador Cup, Australia’s domestic one-day tournament, having not placed higher than third in the previous decade.It has been a remarkable renaissance for WA cricket after such a barren period this millennium, which hit a nadir in late 2012 when the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, were axed from the Scorchers’ Champions League Twenty20 campaign in South Africa.They were dumped after a night of partying to celebrate Mitchell’s 21st birthday; it was highly embarrassing for the brothers, putting their international prospects at the crossroads, but, more worryingly, it reinforced WA’s festering culture marked by ill-discipline. It reduced WA cricket to a punchline, as its halcyon days stretching from the 1970s throughout the 1990s had become a distant memory.Disenchanted by this, some of the state’s greatest ever cricket figures pleaded with then WACA vice-president Sam Gannon for a coaching shake-up. Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh, John Inverarity and Adam Gilchrist wanted Langer, who was then Australia’s batting coach, in the coach’s hot seat in a desperate bid to arrest the decline.For Langer, taking the reins of his beloved WA was a “no-brainer” but the support he received from the top was crucial in his bid to overhaul the team’s culture. “From day one, I had overwhelming support and lots of rope to make changes,” Langer tells ESPNcricinfo. “The most important thing is we had hit rock bottom. There were lots of issues off-field and performances on-field had become mediocre. We needed to be proud to be West Aussie again, and clearly strong change was needed.”Langer had learnt greatly from his captaincy of WA in 2007, after his international career had ended, which was relatively fruitless due to an apparent resistance of his leadership style. “When I was captain in 2007, I was perceived to be too serious and setting expectation too high. It was a good experience in leadership,” Langer says.Immediately after replacing Lachlan Stevens as WA’s coach in November of 2012, Langer made it his priority to seek out Shaun Marsh, who was languishing in WA’s Second XI after having started the year playing Test cricket. Langer’s stern and frank talk with Shaun is credited as the catalyst for the talented batsman’s revival. “I talked to Shaun, his manager and his parents – who are some of my closest friends,” Langer recalls. “I looked him in the face and I said ‘I will always love you but if you step out of place, you can’t be in the organisation … you can’t afford to make one mistake’. I think he appreciated the honesty and from then Shaun has been outstanding.”There was no ranting or raving from Langer to his new players. He knew the team had talent, as evidenced by them making the inaugural BBL final, but it was clearly not being harnessed properly. Respected coaches Tom Moody and Mickey Arthur had previously tried to rejuvenate WA, leaving Langer to think the problems were deep-seated.Helping the Marsh brothers to progress has been one of Langer’s achievements•Getty ImagesOn arrival, Langer realised discipline had been preached but the message was not getting through. There were so many rules that, in effect, it had become too suffocating and confusing. “I went in with a clear message and imparted values that I had learnt from the great WA and Australian teams,” Langer says. “There had to be a buy-in to the values as we hadn’t earned the right yet. The values were based on working hard, respecting the past, looking after mates and celebrating success.”We had rules they must uphold, such as the players were never allowed to get drunk in public, they needed to be responsible with alcohol. Common sense, keeping things simple and no mobile phones at training were other key rules.”Banning mobile phones in the workplace could appear rather archaic, but Langer is unrelenting in his belief that they stymie communication. “When I was playing county cricket, players were always on their phones and it made us look so unprofessional. We are there to do a job,” Langer says. “If people are on their phones, then there is no communication. They don’t talk to each other. I saw this in the Australian dressing room, where players were texting each other in the same room. I have threatened to throw mobiles from the balcony.”Has he ever gone through with that threat?”It’s a secret,” Langer responds slyly.The collective reverence towards Langer from his players is palpable and genuine. That adoration has manifested on-field, with the team showcasing the inimitable traits that defined Langer’s indefatigable playing career.Notably, the Scorchers haven’t been particularly sleek but a healthy dose of resoluteness and pluck has made them the BBL’s trendsetter. You can never write the Scorchers off, even in the direst of situations. They generally find a way to eke out victories. No matter the result, you can’t question their intent.Smartly, the Scorchers have resisted the temptation of splurging on glossy international players, preferring to build around a local core. Continuity has been a trademark of the team and helps explain their sustained success in cricket’s most volatile format. “Cricket Australia probably wouldn’t like me saying this, but we want to build a sustainable program for WA cricket 12 months a year, not 11 months,” Langer says. “We primarily want to give players from our squad a chance and use this stability as our competitive advantage. We have a really clear strategy with overseas players, they are the cream on top. We do not build a franchise around them like some other teams do.”Langer’s overwhelming success has made him the likely successor to Australia coach Darren Lehmann. Accordingly, Langer will become Australia’s caretaker coach during their tour of the Caribbean mid-year in an effort to give Lehmann a welcome break.While a succession plan is seemingly underway, Langer is reluctant to get too ahead of himself. “Life is about timing, maybe I’ll coach Australia one day,” he says. “I look forward to the Caribbean but it is a caretaker role and is about giving Boof a few weeks off. Being an international coach sounds glamorous but you’re away from home 11 months of the year. It’s incredibly taxing.”In typical Langer fashion, he’s only focusing on the task ahead. Right now, his concentration is centred on the Scorchers’ historic bid for a hat-trick of BBL titles.”I am nervous [ahead of the semi-final]. I am always nervous before games,” Langer says. “It is all about creating great memories. Statistics don’t mean a lot when your career is over. Celebrating wins is what I remember from my playing days.”[The hat-trick of titles] is an unbelievable opportunity. We have a chance to create a great legacy.”