Justin Langer steps down as the Head coach of the Australian Cricket Team with immediate effect

Justin Langer, the head coach of Australia's men's cricket team, announced on Saturday that he would be stepping down. After weeks of conjecture and rumours, his management agency, 'DSEG,' made a formal declaration via Twitter.

Langer spoke with officials on Friday night after his future was reviewed in detail at a seven-hour board meeting earlier in the day. Thereafter, Langer was handed a short-term contract renewal by Cricket Australia, which he turned down.

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"Cricket Australia has accepted men's team head coach Justin Langer's resignation, which was received today. Justin was offered a short-term extension to his current contract, which sadly he has opted not to accept," Cricket Australia declared in a statement.

"The contract extension offered to Justin was the result of a thorough review process that evaluated many factors. That includes future requirements of the team and the upcoming extensive schedule of fixtures. The extension was approved by the CA Board and was put to Justin last night. It included the opportunity to defend the T20 World Cup title in Australia at the end of this year. Justin informed CA this morning he was not accepting the offer and would resign with immediate effect." the statement added.

After the iconic Sandpaper Gate, Langer took over the role from Darren Lehmann in 2018. During his leadership, Australia reached unprecedented heights. However, in June, his contract was slated to expire.

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Australia will play Pakistan in three Tests, three One-Day Internationals, and one Twenty20 International. On an interim basis, Andrew McDonald, who previously served as an assistant coach, has been named the new head coach.