CRICKET CORNER -- Bob Simpson Column

World's best and all that

AUSTRALIAN captain Steve Waugh's declaration that Justin Langer is the best batsman in the world may be a two-edged sword for the player.

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Justin Langer has been named as the world's best batsman by his skipper Steve Waugh. This is not true, though Langer is a very good player.

In the 60s, while in India on their way to South Africa, Bill Lawry, then the Australian captain, very publicly expressed the view that Ian Chappell was the world's best batsman. This was obviously not the case, for while Chappell was a good batsman, he certainly was not in the great class. In fact, it smacked very much of Lawry trying to pacify his little young player, who was a somewhat disruptive element in that touring party. Boy, did it backfire!

Graeme Pollock told me shortly after this that Bill's statement was the catalyst for him and Barry Richards to show the Australians who was really the best. Both of them dominated the Aussie bowlers and South Africa had a crushing 4-0 victory to prove they were the best team in the world.

Chappell, on the other hand, had for the second time in three years a disastrous tour and barely averaged 20 runs per innings.

How good is Justin Langer? Certainly not in the great class, but still a very fine player. He is the type of batsman whom I admire the most. Not naturally gifted, but a sportsman who uses the maximum amount of what talent he has been blessed with.

He is in the style of Bill Lawry and I can't give him much higher praise than that, for Lawry was a magnificent contributor, much underestimated by the media and public, but greatly admired by his team-mates and opponents. You cannot get higher praise than these.

Langer has the same type of determination and cussedness. For a long time he got too much advice from too many people of varying quality, hoping that some magical words would turn him into an overnight champion. I had the pleasure of working with him and I can still clearly hear him saying, "I want to be the world's best short-leg fielder."

I was somewhat taken aback, for who in the right mind wants to field in the most dangerous spot in cricket and at the time Justin was a very ordinary fielder. We accepted the challenge together and it seemed every time that I turned around Langer was there with my bat, right hand batting glove and a couple of cricket balls. Nothing had to be said. I put on the glove, grabbed the bat and we headed for the nearest convenient open space.

I couldn't estimate the number of balls I hit at him. I do know he had what the Aussie team called the Simpson Bruise. That was a bruise at the base of the little and second fingers of the dominating hand, caused by an endless stream of crisply hit catches. Not once did Langer complain, for he holds a black belt in martial arts, and I think that he wore the bruise as a badge of honour and achievement.

He certainly proved the adage that practice makes perfect and today is up there with the best in the suicidal short-leg position. His hallmark as a batsman is that same type of courage and determination that made him a wonderful short-leg. Once he accepted the advice and stopped looking around for the initial quickfix, but decide how Justin Langer should bat, his progress was slow but very sure.

In fact, it was his slow batting that he first set out to cure. In his early days he only either tried to stop the ball or wait until the loose ball came along. The higher he climbed, the less bad balls he received. And herein lay his problem. As he couldn't hit fours and couldn't get off the strike he subjected himself to tortuous pressure which inevitably led to him getting out.

Accepting advice to become more mentally aggressive, Langer went for runs rather than just waiting for them to happen. He didn't try to increase his range of shots, but endeavoured to play them more. To get off the strike it was imperative to take singles and rotate the strike. One, it kept the score ticking over and two, it took the intense pressure off him which was leading to his dismissals.

Justin has always been perhaps too tense in everything he did. In addition, he suffered, as so many West Australian batsmen have, at being one-dimensional. This has been caused by the predictability of the high, true bouncing Perth pitches which caused them all to suffer from not being able to adjust to any conditions that were different.

Prior to Langer, no West Australian has averaged over 40 in Test cricket. Langer has been helped to overcome these restrictions by Australia's busy and varied schedule. His new-found controlled aggression, allied to a rock hard temperament, ambition and immense determination and selfless loyalty to his team, has turned him into a tough, competent and successful competitor.

As far as being the 'world's best', that is a tough call. He may not have the natural flair and skill for this exalted status, but what I do know is I would like Langer in my side when the going gets tough.