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Ashes 2019: Justin Langer looks at Steve Smith and Muhammad Ali to revive Australia's campaign
The Australian coach said his team would now take heart from an incident in Ali's childhood.
Australia head into the fourth Test at Old Trafford starting Wednesday, hoping Steve Smith and the boxer Muhammad Ali can revive their campaign following the hurt they felt at having the Ashes "stolen" from them by England.
The tourists were on the brink of retaining the Ashes only for Ben Stokes's superb 135 not out delivered England a stunning one-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley. Stokes's heroics have left the five-match series poised at 1-1 with two to play.
Australia coach Justin Langer said his team would now take heart from an incident in Ali's childhood. "He got his bike stolen and that was the fire he needed to become the greatest boxer of all time," said Langer.
"We felt a bit like we got the Ashes stolen the other day. They won that Test match, so we felt a bit like it'd been stolen from us. Now we've got to work out what we're going to do, and use that as fire."
"We're not going to feel sorry for ourselves and let it slip," added Langer, aiming to oversee Australia's first Ashes series win in England for 18 years.
Australia will make at least one change, with star batsman Smith returning from the concussion he suffered after being hit by a 92mph Jofra Archer bouncer that ruled him out of the third Test. Smith, in his first Test series since completing a 12-month ball-tampering ban, scored 144 and 142 in Australia's 251-run win in the opener at Edgbaston before making 92 in the drawn second Test at Lord's.
Marnus Labuschagne, Smith's concussion substitute at Lord's, has made three successive Test fifties since his unexpected promotion into the side and retains his place with Usman Khawaja being dropped to make way for Smith's return.
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc will hope to be selected for his first Test of this Ashes on what is set to be the quickest pitch of the series — a surface that should also suit Nathan Lyon as the off-spinner tries to recover from fumbling what would have been a match-winning run out in Leeds.
Langer, hit several times on the head during his career as an Australia opening batsman, was confident Smith could overcome any doubts he may have felt after being felled by Archer. "When you get hit, it's always a little voice on your shoulder. You've got to have a good strategy and he works the game out better than anyone I've ever met in my life," said Langer. "If anyone's going to get over any little demons it'll be Steven."
