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The week after the narrow loss in the third Ashes Test was toughest in coaching career: Justin Langer
Australia were denied a win in the last game after Ben Stokes put up a spectacular show to hand the hosts an improbable win, as they chased down 359 to win by just a wicket.
The week after the shock loss to England in the third Ashes Test at Leeds last week was the toughest in coach Justin Langer's coaching career. Australia were denied a win in the last game after Ben Stokes put up a spectacular show to hand the hosts an improbable win, as they chased down 359 to win by just a wicket.
Ahead of the fourth Test, Langer admits that the result left the Aussies "physically sick."
"Everyone in that change room, probably a lot of Australians as well, felt completely sick after that. I actually felt physically sick after it. I went back to my room, I wasn't sure whether to cry my eyes out or smash my hotel room," he said on Monday, 2 September, as the team prepared for the fourth Test in Manchester.
"The last week of coaching has probably been one of the most challenging weeks of my coaching career," he said. "That said, as challenging as it has been, it's been awesome, I've loved this last week of coaching."
With the series tied at 1-1 and with two games to go, Langer knows that the Aussies can go on to win the series.
"We felt a bit like we got the Ashes stolen the other day," Langer said. "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.
"Think about Muhammad Ali getting his bike stolen [as a child]. That was the fire he needed to become the greatest boxer of all time. The great players and great teams – in business and life – they have their ups and downs but they always fight back from it."
