Cricket great Shane Watson has described the tension between the current side and Australia’s golden generation as the “hangover” from Justin Langer’s acrimonious departure as coach this year.
As a cricketer whose career straddled both eras, Watson is more attuned than most to the differences on each side of the divide.
He retains strong relationships with many of Langer’s closest allies but also works closely with current players in his role as president of the Australian Cricketers Association.
Though Watson attempted to play down the drama behind the scenes on Sunday, his comments nevertheless backed up a report by The Age and the Herald of a rift between the two parties.
Former stars remain unhappy at how Langer’s tenure as coach ended in February, believing the current players were instrumental in orchestrating his removal after a summer that included a T20 World Cup win and a thumping Ashes victory.
Test captain Pat Cummins explained in February his men wanted a “new style of coaching”.
Shane Watson is close to both generations of feuding Australian cricketers.
Test great Matthew Hayden, one of Langer’s closest friends, upset some in the Australian camp with his criticism of the team’s planning, prompting a strong defence from current players of head coach Andrew McDonald.
“With my experience, there’s no real issue, yeah, there’s a little bit of a hangover from what happened with Justin Langer, whether it’s the players or also just the way that situation was handled,” Watson said.
“From the past players even with their frustration with Cricket Australia and how they handled that as well. It’s not an issue, if there is an issue between a couple of players and past players I know it will be sorted out. They just want the Aussie boys to be as good as they possibly can be.”
Meanwhile, Watson has said the turnout for games involving Australia in the tournament was “poor” compared to the passionate support enjoyed by India and Pakistan.
The combination of the host nation’s ordinary form, wet weather and the tournament’s slot early in the season led to underwhelming crowds for Australia’s games.
India twice drew crowds exceeding 80,000 for their matches at the MCG, while their epic against Pakistan attracted 90,293 fans – more than any AFL home-and-away game this year.
“You see the sheer numbers of the Indians and Pakistanis that are here in Australia coming to the games I know that’s a passion that’s there,” Watson said.
“We’re seeing that in this T20 World Cup. With the Australian games they were pretty poor attendances compared to the Pakistan and India games – they were like home games for them. That’s the way the world’s moving. It’s exciting.”
