Cricket-Retired players disgusted at Langer treatment as England job possibly looms

ADELAIDE (Reuters) - Former teammates of Justin Langer have lamented what they called a lack of player support for the man who, even before quitting on Saturday as coach of the Australian men's cricket team, was being mentioned as a candidate for the vacant England job.

Langer announced his resignation less than a day after Cricket Australia offered him a short-term contract extension.

A day earlier, England interim cricket director Andrew Strauss left open the possibility of Langer taking over as England coach in the wake of Chris Silverwood's departure on Friday.

As Langer weighed his future, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting expressed sadness at his treatment.

"It was absolutely clear that no one backed him," Hayden told Australia's ABC Radio.

"The whole thing just reeks of being orchestrated, basically from the moment all of this garbage started coming out (about Langer's coaching style) in winter last year.

"You could see the writing was on the wall."

Langer took over as head coach in the wake of a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in 2018, and most recently presided over a 4-0 thumping of England in the Ashes test series, hot on the heels of Australia winning the Twenty20 World Cup for the first time.

Ponting said that ever increasing player power appeared to have left Langer in an untenable position.

"It seems this time the players, and maybe a couple of the other personnel ... might have influenced Cricket Australia into the making the decision that they have," the former captain said on ABC Radio.

"And that's been enough to force (out) a man that's put his life and heart and soul into Australian cricket.

Langer has "done what I believe has been a sensational job in turning around the culture and the way that