Aussie skipper breaks his silence

Aussie captain Pat Cummins has fronted the media for the first time since Justin Langer resigned as coach.

Cummins had already released a statement earlier in the day outlining why the players felt now was time for a change in direction.

The statement defender himself and his teammates but also paid respect to Langer who provided the perfect mindset for what the team needed at the time.

Cummins told reporters it should have come as no surprise to Langer after two-years of ongoing reviews.

“It’s been two years of evaluations in our environment at CA,” Cummins said.

“It’s probably pretty boring but we get 360 reviewed all the time. We get our strengths and weaknesses poked, prodded, always try to learn from it. It’s become more public the last week or two but I don’t think there’s any big surprises.

“He tweaked and changed a lot and was brilliant since then [August]. He made some big changes and deserves a lot of credit for that. The question to ask after the success of the last couple of months became, do we think it’s sustainable?

“Again, it’s a matter of varying opinions. We thought it’s the right time to make the change.”

A number of former greats have criticised Cummins including former quick Mitchell Johnson who labelled the skipper as "gutless" for not publicly backing Langer.

In the early released statement Cummins said “To all past players, I want to say this: just as you have always stuck up for your mates, I’m sticking up for mine.”

The Aussies take on Sri Lanka in five T20 internationals on home soil before embarking on a tour of Pakistan shortly.

IMAGE: Fox Sports