Former Test opener and current Australia men’s head coach Justin Langer has been inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame, Cricket Australia (CA) revealed on Thursday. Alongside Langer, ex-women cricketer Raelee Thompson has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Langer and Thompson became the 58th and 59th inductees, respectively, since the start of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame back in 1996. An eight-person panel, including some prominent personalities like Belinda Clark and Mark Taylor, selected the names of Langer and Thompson for the honour.
Notably, Langer made his international debut in January 1993 against West Indies and went on to become a Test stalwart. The left-handed batter played 105 Tests for Australia and amassed 7,696 runs at an average of 45.27.
Following fruitful stints as coach of Western Australia and Perth Scorchers, Langer was appointed coach of the Australian men’s cricket team in May 2018. He enjoyed a successful time in his new role as well, leading the Aussies to their first Men’s T20 World Cup title in 2021 and retaining the Ashes in 2019 and 2021-2022.
“Justin’s contribution to Australian cricket spans across four separate decades. First as a player, as part of one of the most successful teams that world cricket has ever seen. As a coach, he entered the role at a time of great need and leads the Australian Men’s Cricket Team with great distinction, a team which the Australian public is very proud of,” said Australian Cricket Hall of Fame Chairman Peter King as quoted by Cricket.com.au.
Similarly, Thompson – one of the pioneers of the women’s game – played 16 Tests and 23 One-Day Internationals and also captained the team four times. The Victorian, who made her international debut in 1972 against New Zealand, took 57 wickets in red-ball format and 24 in ODIs.
“Raelee has been a leader and champion of cricket as a sport for women and girls through an incredible period of evolution, both as a proud player and captain of her country and continuing that passion towards ensuring that the game continues to progress and flourish for future generations,” added King.
