Headingley defeat gave Langer the '10 best days' of his coaching career
Australia retained the Ashes in England after winning the fourth Test in Manchester, but they had the chance to do it in the third game at Headingley, where they reduced England to 286/9 in the 359-run chase. However, Ben Stokes produced a remarkable innings, smashing an unbeaten 135* to take England past the finish line. Jack Leach stayed put with a 17-ball 1*, in an unbeaten 76-run stand with Stokes for the final wicket.
Langer admitted the result bothered him at that moment. "Because I'm an aware human, right at the time, it makes you sick. You don't want to have that result," he told Cricbuzz. "But then what happened next was, without doubt, the best 10 days of coaching I've ever been involved with. Personally and collectively because you had to find solutions and find ways of getting the boys back up and refocused and bring them back together and face the issues front-on.
"When Ben Stokes hits those winning runs, it was probably the worst day of my coaching career. But I look back, and see I'm not even saying it 10 years down the track but now, it ended up being the 10 best days, and then we go on to retain the Ashes 10 days later.
"If you're open to it, your darkest days are when you learn your best lessons. It was actually a fact, when I got dropped in 1993 and got dropped in 2001, and the start of my coaching journey with Australia. The tough times have been the best parts of my last 18 months. I've learnt so much about leadership, people and life in those times. That's why I love coming to work every day."
Langer undertook the coaching job in a tumultuous period for Australian cricket, right after David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were handed suspensions in 2018. In collaboration with skippers Tim Paine and Aaron Finch, the 49-year-old successfully handled the aftermath of the ball-tampering incident, and also helped Smith and Warner fit back into the squad earlier this year after their one-year ban.
While his journey with the national side has been far from straightforward, Langer has found immense joy in the role so far. He recalled how, as a 16-year-old, he dreamt of being associated with cricket throughout his life.
"I pinch myself every day that I'm in this job," he admitted. "One of the things we did back in December of 1986 was this time capsule for the family when we were young. I was 16 years old. And I wrote this letter to myself. 'I'm at a crossroads now. If someone can give me a contract to tell me that I could be involved in cricket for the rest of my life, I'd be the happiest person.' I've got the hand-written letter, which mom left me when she died two years ago, when I was 47. So I saw this letter again 31 years later. I didn't even know there were contracts then.
"I pinch myself every day. There are stresses, you get stressed and grumpy and tired. I remind myself every day, no matter how tired you are, you are so lucky mate. I have a great family and I'm doing this for a job? My god, lucky man, lucky man."