

Australia Cricket Players

Justin Langer
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2001
Justin Lee Langer (born 21 November 1970 in Perth) is a left-handed batsman. He is best known for being Matthew Hayden's opening partner in Test matches. Langer is also a solid gully fielder, and was very occasionally the wicketkeeper for the Australian one-day team. He can play both aggressively and defensively, but has a reputation for grinding away. However, in a recent Wisden Australia article, Langer's Test strike rate was shown to be superior to that of noted strokemakers Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn. Langer was a number 3 batsman until 2001 when he was dropped after failing to convert a series of starts during Australia's 2-1 loss in India. Shortly after though, he replaced Michael Slater at the top of the order for the final 2001 Ashes series Test where he celebrated his return with a century. He has not looked back since: as an opening batsman, he averages 52.38 and has scored 14 centuries in 44 matches; previously he scored 7 centuries in 41 matches at an average of 39.04.In November 1999 at Bellerive Oval in Hobart, he shared a match-winning 238-run partnership with Adam Gilchrist to rescue Australia from 5/126 chasing a victory target of 369 against Pakistan. The century scored in this innings was scored in a long 388 minutes, an Australian record. Curiously, Langer once held the Australian record for the fastest Test fifty in terms of balls faced (42 balls). Langer is currently a member of the Australian Test team but not the one-day team, despite being named as the ING Cup's player of the season in 2002/03. Langer is the current captain of the Western Warriors. He played county cricket for Middlesex CCC (1998-2000) and was captain in 2000. In June 2006 it was announced that Langer would join Somerset CCC from late June for six weeks, while fellow countryman Dan Cullen is on duty with Australia A
- Full name : Justin Lee Langer
- Born : November 21, 1970, Perth, Western Australia
- Batting style : Left-hand bat
- Bowling style : Right-arm medium
- Test debut : Australia v West Indies at Adelaide - Jan 23-26, 1993
- Last Test : South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg - Mar 31-Apr 4, 2006
- ODI debut : Australia v Sri Lanka at Sharjah - Apr 14, 1994
- Last ODI : England v Australia at Lord's - May 25, 1997