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Cricket

Langer Vows Australia Will Be Ready for England, India or T20 World Cup

Australia head coach Justin Langer during a press conference
Australia head coach Justin Langer during a press conference

Australia coach Justin Langer says his players will be ready to play whenever international cricket resumes following the coronavirus lay-off.

Australia was last in action in March when their three-match One Day International series against New Zealand was called off in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Speculation has been rife about the future of several tours in 2020, including Australias trip to England, along with the T20 ICC World Cup to be hosted by Australia in October and November.

Australia is also scheduled to host India in a four-match Test series this southern summer, which all remain in limbo amid the pandemic.

“We’ve been planning since the day COVID-19 hit,” Langer said. “We’ve been wondering what was going to happen.

“We’ve got to concentrate our efforts on being ready, whether we play in England or the World Cup or we play against India in the summer, our job is to make sure our players and people are ready for the next contest that comes up.

“There’s been plenty of planning going on.”

Langer, who has been Australia coach for just over two years, said hed enjoyed the coronavirus break on a personal level, giving him a break for the frequent international travel required of his role.

He also revealed his players had kept themselves in good physical condition and he was optimistic they’d be energised by the break whenever they return to cricket.

“One thing I know is the players are extremely fit,” Langer said.

“They’re back working with their states which is a real positive for them and their states. It’s almost like going back in the past.

“I’ve loved the fact they’ve had to go get themselves fit and stay healthy without all the resources about them.

“It wasn’t that long ago if you wanted to be in the Australian cricket team you had to be the best of the best and you had to work it out yourself because we didn’t have a lot of coaches and sports psychologists.

“Their physical results are going through the roof. They’ve all got a smile on their faces. They’re excited about playing cricket again.

“It’s going to be nice to see them all back together. Im really confident they’ll be in great condition and be energised and enthusiastic about it.”