Centurion Justin Langer

Justin Langer profile & Biography, Australian Cricketer, Cricket Australia, World Champions, Justin Langer the centurion, Best Cricketer Australia.

Monday, December 11, 2006

Name
Justin Langer

Major Teams:

Australia, Western Australia.

Batting Style:Left Hand Bat

Bowling Style:
Right Arm Medium

Other:
Wicketkeeper

Test Debut:
Australia v West Indies at Adelaide, 4th Test, 1992/93

ODI Debut:
Australia v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, Australasia Cup, 1993/94

First-Class Debut:
Western Australia v Victoria at Perth, 1991/92

Cricketing Profile:

Justin Langer is perhaps the first Test opener in history to average in the mid-forties yet still be forever scrabbling for his spot in the side. Or at least that’s the perception: in a land of dashers and crashers Langer is seen as a grafter, a battler, only ever a couple of failures away from oblivion.
The reality is somewhat different. Yesteryear’s ugly duckling is now a strokeplaying swan, racking up more Test hundreds than those national treasures Doug Walters, Ian Chappell, Mark Waugh and Bill Lawry, and scoring an eye-popping 1481 runs in 2004. Always an effective cutter and driver, he now indulges in unseemly crossbat hoicks from the first over. Together with his bludgeoning comrade Matthew Hayden, they have screwed up textbooks and record-books alike, making Greenidge and Haynes look like strokeless stonewallers. It is a miraculous reinvention.
Clanged on the helmet by Ian Bishop on debut, Langer fought on to make 54, but played only eight Tests in six years. He returned at No. 3, as the selectors sought to mould him into the next David Boon - and for a while he exceeded even those lofty ambitions. After rescuing the unrescuable Hobart Test of 1999-2000 with Adam Gilchrist, then slaughtering a blistering 122 in Auckland, Steve Waugh called him the world’s best batsman. The feeling was mutual; Langer’s devotion to Waugh saw him nicknamed 'Mini-Tugga'.
His bond with Hayden is even closer. The pair miss each other when they’re apart, exchange bearhugs in the middle, and give the impression always of two boys living out a dream. Still the knockers persist, but they should watch out: Langer may be short of stature but he is tall in enthusiasm (he's already written two books) and boasts a black belt in taekwondo. He has played only eight one-day internationals, something that bugs him no end, despite a Gilchristian strike rate of 88.88. With Langer, you see, perception is everything.

Biography

He is the oldest of four children - his siblings being brothers, Adam and Jonathan; and sister, Jemma. His father is a car-dealer and his mother is a theatre-nurse.Coming from a devout Catholic family, he attended Liwara Catholic School, before going to Aquinas College. Both schools had a strong Catholic ethos. After graduating from high school, Justin then moved on to the University of Western Australia where he majored in English Literature, Economics and Human Biology. He has also done a lot of research on methodologies that bring success, and is considered 'success specialist' in the Australian Cricket Team.

He married his highschool sweetheart, Sue, on April 13, 1996, and they have four beautiful daughters - Jessica (born in March, 1997), Ali-Rose (November, 1998), Sophie (April, 2001) and Grace (November, 2005).

In his pursuit of success and personality development Justin obtained a black belt in karate. "The martial arts have boosted my self-confidence," said Justin, who was attracted to Buddhism during the Australian tour of Sri Lanka in 1997. "I met many Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka and was very impressed by their philosophy," he says. "Buddhism teaches you self-discipline which is very important in life as well as in cricket."

Defeat is one word Justin has hated right through his life. According to his father Colin Langer, kid Justin was as combative a character as he is now. "Justin always believed in giving of his best at whatever he does," said Colin Langer. "He was good in his studies as well as in sports. He could never take defeat."

A product of the Australian Cricket Academy (ACA), Justin had his grounding in the basics along with Shane Warne, Greg Blewett and Damien Martyn. Justin's only regret is that he could not complete graduation in arts from the University of Western Australia because of his getting selected to the ACA. A keen lover of literature, Justin is considered the best cricketer-writer in Australia now. "Writing allows me express myself fully," he says. "Right from my school days I had an inclination to writing. I am in love with literature. I prefer descriptive style of writing, and I do research on different styles of writing. As far as cricket writers are concerned, I like Peter Roebuck and Mike Coward for their flair."

Justin, who has a column called 'Langer's Postcards' on the Baggy Green website, says he was first recognised as a poet when a few members of the Australian team in Zimbabwe took a train from Bulawayo to Harare for picking up some silly hats. When the train was moving through green outbacks, Justin took out his pen and scribbled a few motivational poems for his teammates. He has written a book, From Outback to Outfield, based on his experiences as a county cricketer for Middlesex, which has appointed him captain for the 2000 season. His second book, The Power of Passion, has been read and used as a motivational tool for some cricketers and athletes from other sporting codes.

Justin's initiation into cricket was through his uncle Robbie Langer, who played for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield and in Kerry Packer's World Series. Both Robbie and Colin wanted Justin to get into the big league. "Dad built a pitch for me in the backyard. He and uncle Robby motivated me. Dad had played cricket at the club level in Western Australia. He played for the state baseball team, too."

Justin's heroes are Kim Hughes, Allan Border, David Boon and Steve Waugh. "I played a lot of backyard Test cricket with Hughes in my mind," says Langer. "He gave me the taste for this game."
That taste is total. Justin even took the lead in writing the motivational mottos on the scribbling board of the team's dressing room, a practice introduced by the new team coach John Buchanan. "The mottos I write there are from different philosophies of life," says Justin. "I lay a lot of emphasis to discipline."

The Langers are a close-knit family. Colin makes it a point to watch all the matches his son plays in Australia. Brothers Adam and Jonathan and sister Jemma, too, are cricket buffs.
The senior Justin is a successful entrepreneur. The son, too, loves the smell of money, Justin had worked with a stockbroking firm. Another love of his is gardening, on the pitch as well as in the kitchen backyard.

Justin is a member of the Australia Day Council and patron of the Childrens’ Leukaemia & Cancer Research in Western Australia.