'It’s been a bit of a shame': Tim Paine backs Justin Langer as coach of Australian cricket team

Justin Langer's role as the head coach of the Australian cricket team has come under scanner after his side suffered consecutive defeats in the T20 series. The Aussies were thrashed 4-1 by the West Indies and 4-1 in Bangladesh, raising concerns ahead of ICC T20 World Cup that will kick off later this year. 

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However, Australian Test captain Tim Paine has backed Langer as the coach of the team. Paine said he and other senior players had cleared the air with Langer and that the coach was not to blame for the team's recent setbacks in the West Indies and Bangladesh.

"It was important that myself, Aaron Finch, Pat Cummins and the leaders of Australian cricket got around him, discussed things that needed to be discussed and then got around him and supported him to move forward," Paine said on radio station SEN Hobart on Friday.

"The last few days we've really been able to galvanise around him, to have some really robust discussions on where we want to take this cricket team, what we expect of him and what he expects of us."

This week, Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley said that Langer was contracted through to mid-2022 and praised him for helping rally the team when he took over in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal in 2018.

"It’s been a bit of a shame the last week that a lot of the failings around Australian cricket have been pinned on JL (Langer)," added Paine.

"That’s certainly not the case. We haven’t lived up to our own standards on the field."