Until the announcement of his retirement from Test cricket in 2007, Justin Langer was one of Australia’s great top-order batsmen. Langer, who lived in Warwick, Duncraig and Sorrento and attended primary school in Greenwood, also played junior cricket in the City.
Originally a number three, he moved to opener in 2001 and played 105 Test Matches for his country scoring 7,696 runs, including 23 Test centuries. Few have worn the “baggy green” with greater pride. Langer’s highest test score was 250 in a Boxing Day Test Match at the MCG and was one of three double centuries he scored during his career. In 2004 he was the highest run scorer in world cricket with 1,481 runs. In 2009, while playing County cricket in the UK, he surpassed Don Bradman as the most prolific batsman in Australian cricket history with 28,068 first-class runs.
He was named as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2008 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and in 2014 Langer was named as the Western Australian of the Year for Sport. In 2009 he was appointed assistant coach of the Australian cricket team and in 2012 he achieved a lifelong dream when took on the role as coach of Western Australia (Western Warriors and Perth Scorchers). During his tenure, the Perth Scorchers won three BBL titles, while WA won two One-Day tournament titles and made two Sheffield Shield finals. Following on from this success with the Western Australian teams, he was offered the position of coach of the Australian cricket team in May 2018.He remains in that role.