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Langer appointed as head coach of Lucknow Super Giants; Flower departs

Last updated on: July 15, 2023 00:08 IST

Australian Andy Bichel, LSG's bowling coach, left, LSG Coach Zimbabwean Andy Flower, centre, and GT Batting Coach South African Gary Kirsten have a post match chat.

IMAGE: Australian Andy Bichel, LSG's bowling coach, left, LSG Coach Zimbabwean Andy Flower, centre, and GT Batting Coach South African Gary Kirsten have a post match chat. Photograph: BCCI

Lucknow Super Giants have appointed former Australian opener Justin Langer as their head coach replacing Andy Flower, the IPL franchise announced on Friday.

Langer has also served as the coach of the Australian team, taking over the reins in the wake of the infamous 2018 ball-tampering incident during the Cape Town Test against South Africa.

"Lucknow Super Giants have appointed legendary former Australian cricket team coach and batsman Justin Langer as their team head coach. As the two-year contract of Andy Flower comes to an end, Lucknow Supergiants thanks Andy Flower for his contribution," LSG said in a statement.

LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka said they approached Langer following team mentor Gautam Gambhir's advice.

"I have enjoyed my interactions with Justin Langer. He seems to bring in a huge amount of aggression and a lot of clarity. His name was suggested to me by Gautam Gambhir and when I interacted with Justin I was very impressed. I am very happy that he is a part of LSG," said Goenka.

Gambhir had sought Langer's help for tackling the short ball when he was out of the Indian team.

Langer, who had formed a potent opening combination with Matthew Hayden in Test cricket, was appointed as the head coach of Australian team in May 2018.

During his tenure, Australia beat England 4–0 in the Ashes series. And in 2021, under his charge, Australia also won the T20 World Cup for the first time.

Apart from this, Perth Scorchers also won the Big Bash title three times under the guidance of Langer.

The southpaw had rejected Cricket Australia's short-term contract offer after guiding the team to an Ashes win at home in 2021-2022. Langer had claimed he did not have the full support of the players and board and therefore decided against extending his tenure as the head coach.

On joining LSG as head coach, Langer said, "Lucknow Super Giants are on the journey of building a great story in the IPL. We all have a role to play in that journey and I am excited to be a part of the team moving forward."

In 2023, Lucknow Super Giants made it to the IPL playoffs for the second consecutive year.