Pat Cummins says the latest behind-the-scenes documentary of the Australian cricket team has the power to soothe any lingering public fury over Justin Langer’s exit as coach.
The second season of The Test will be released on Friday, with Tim Paine’s downfall, last summer’s Ashes series and Langer’s departure emerging as the major plotlines.
Players were shown the first two episodes at a launch in Sydney on Monday night, with the series to also feature Australia’s tours of Pakistan and crisis-gripped Sri Lanka.
It was in the initial season of Amazon Prime Video series concerns over Langer’s intensity first came to light.
Several heated discussions between players and the coach were captured, along with Usman Khawaja warning Langer that players were walking on eggshells.
Those concerns ultimately led to Langer’s departure last February.
In a montage in the first episode of the new season, Test captain Cummins tells viewers players were on tenterhooks around the coach.
Khawaja also pointed out his view that players were afraid of Langer and did not speak up to him, while Nathan Lyon admitted he struggled with the coach’s up-and-down nature.
“There were plenty of guys who don’t speak up, don’t talk,” Khawaja said in the documentary.
“And they were afraid of JL. That’s the truth.”
Langer’s exit remains one of the most contentious points in Australian cricket, with some public sentiment still behind the former opener.
But Cummins was not concerned how the documentary and fallout from the Langer situation would appear to the public.
“We’re all at peace with it. The way it’s told is pretty accurate to how it all played out,” Cummins told AAP.
“A lot of these things publicly and outside the group get really heated and can be really divisive.
“Hopefully with the cameras inside the group you get a bit more context and it’s not divisive.
“Seeing it objectively there is a little less heat and emotion involved in the situation as opposed to what might get played out in the papers and conversations.”
The documentary airs after Langer expressed his frustrations over his exit in several interviews before the start of the Test summer over what he claimed was a lack of feedback.
“What will come across hopefully is that we are a team that is really motivated,” Cummins said.
“We finished the Ashes series and the next big thing that came across was Pakistan.
“And rightly or wrongly, the nature of sport is we all move on pretty quickly.”
The documentary comes after the summer began with questions asked over the popularity of Australia’s players.
This second season is far more centred around players’ stories than the first, with at-home insights on Cummins, Khawaja and Scott Boland while maintaining dressing-room footage.
“Cricket is a small part of all our lives,” Cummins said.
“Seeing people in their natural environment, it gives a bit more context to who we are as people and what makes us tick.”
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