Justin Langer extends support to Tim Paine, says ‘there’s not one person who doesn’t make mistakes in life’
Justin Langer (Photo by Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
Australia head coach Justin Langer has extended his support to former skipper Tim Paine after his sexting scandal came to light which exposed the wicketkeeper batter to utmost humiliation. Paine also had to step down from Australia captaincy and even took an indefinite break from all forms of cricket.
Langer said Paine is one of the best individuals he has met, adding that he is hopeful that the wicketkeeper batter will find a way back to the Australian team soon.
“I’m very sad with what’s happened. “He’s one of my really close friends and someone I admire enormously. Certainly in this generation of players, he’s one of the best people I’ve met in the game of cricket,” Langer said.
“He’s been our captain for a long time, he and I have been through a journey like we have with all of this group. He’s one of the best people I’ve met in cricket, so it was nice to go down and see him.
Langer also said that he met Paine recently and revealed that the batter is shattered with the recent developments “When I saw him, he’s obviously shattered with what’s happened. He has been such an exemplary figure in Australian cricket for the last four years particularly. His life has changed, obviously. But you’d have to ask him how he’s going.
“It was important to see him, we talk about looking after our boys and having each other’s backs. It was a no-brainer for me to go and see him.”
Langer also took a dig at the judgmental society and the media trial saying that no individual is perfect and everyone questioning must have made a mistake in life.
“We live in a world of perfectionism, don’t we? We’re a very judgmental society. “As I said in my very first press conference when I was asked about Steve Smith and David Warner and Cameron Bancroft (after the ball-tampering saga) – there’s not one person who is asking questions here, or who is on the camera here, or who is listening to this or watching who hasn’t made a mistake in their life.
“There’s not a single person. Our captain, one of the best, made a mistake and is paying a heavy price for it.
“What I see, I continually see in this job and see in the society we live in – it’s brutal. You learn your lessons, but we live in an unforgiving society. And that’s a shame.”
