"He would make a good Australian coach," Bob Simpson had said. When a 22-year-old-Justin Langer from Western Australia made his Test debut against a formidable Richie Richardson-led Windies side, Simpson was the head coach of Australia's national side.

“Justin is a man of high integrity and that is what Australia need at the moment. He would be a credit to the position. Whatever role he takes he would put his heart and soul into it. He is a great enthusiast and would do a good job,” Simpson had said.

Cricket Australia seemed to agree with him. Langer’s appointment as coach on Thursday, 3 May, taking over the reigns of the team at a difficult time, marks another stage of a successful career in cricket.

The post was vacant since the completion of Australia's South African tour, when Darren Lehmann stepped down.

From donning the Baggy Green to finishing as one of the best batsmen of his era, Langer had tremendous success with the bat, especially as an opener.

Below, are Langer's career highlights, starting from his dream debut.

Test debut in 1993

Baggy Green No.354 belongs to Langer. When the Windies toured Australia for a five-match Test series in 1992-93, Allan Border, then the Australian captain, was eyeing a series win over the visitors after a 1-0 lead in the first three matches. Ahead of the fourth Test, an injury to Damien Martyn opened the door for Langer. He was slated at No.3, ahead of the Waughs. A young Langer faced the likes of Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop and Courtney Walsh for 98 minutes and fell for a 79-ball 20 in the first innings. In the second innings, he came back stronger with a top score of 54, and almost took his side to victory. Australia lost by just one run.

A long-awaited century

It took Langer almost five years to score his first Test century. Australia toured Pakistan in October 1998, and in the first Test in Rawalpindi, he was dismissed for a duck by Wasim Akram. In the second Test in Peshawar, he brought up his first Test ton, scoring 116 off 212 with 10 boundaries. It was the innings that helped him build trust in the selectors and he eventually got more chances to prove his mettle.

A match-defining knock

With Ricky Ponting at No.6 and players like Martyn and Darren Lehmann in line to grab any opportunity they got, Langer was under pressure. He had to do more with the bat. He had to help his side win crucial matches. In the second Test against Pakistan in Hobart in 1999, Australia were set a target of 369. At the time, the highest total chased at the venue was 332 and the hosts were on the back foot – until centuries from Langer and Adam Gilchrist helped them defy the odds and handed Australia a four-wicket win. Langer, who made 59 in the first innings and 127 in the second, deservedly was the Player of the Match.

A partnership-force to reckon with

In the 2001 Ashes in England, with Australia already having sealed the five-match series 3-1, the visitors wanted to end on a winning note. Michael Slater's poor form, averaging only 24.28 in four matches, got him dropped from the side before the final Test. Langer opened the batting with Matthew Hayden, marking the start of one of the best opening pairs. In that match, they added 158 runs. They went on to accumulate 5655 runs in 113 innings together at 51.88 – the second-most successful opening association in Tests after Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes's 6482 runs at 47.31.

A stint in the 50-over format

Langer made his ODI debut in 1994 and played his last game in 1997. In three years, he featured in just eight matches, coring 160 runs at 32. He gave up the shorter format, even as his career graph rose in Tests.

End of a special innings

After representing his country in 105 Tests, Langer finally decided to call it a day in 2007. He had 7696 Test runs against his name, averaging 45.27. After the ups and downs, the injuries and comebacks, he had left behind runs, records and a legacy.

A new cricketing role

After his retirement in 2007, he took up a coaching role two years later – becoming Australia's assistant coach of their Test team. In 2012, he was appointed as the senior coach of Western Australia and Perth Scorchers, leading the Big Bash League side to three titles. His twice stood in for Lehmann with the senior side, when the head coach took a break: in the ODI tri-series against South Africa and Windies in June 2016, and in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka in February 2017.