Worthy or not of an extension, Justin Langer's treatment "as a person" by Cricket Australia fell well short of the mark, says WA Cricket chief Christina Matthews.
Langer resigned as Australia men's head coach on Saturday after rejecting a six-month extension offered to him by the CA board.
The drawn-out, public process has been heavily criticised by former Test captains, including Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh.
Waugh was the latest to back the former Test opener, wondering on Saturday night why Langer was no longer deemed worthy, given the team's return to form and improved standing in the public eye.
"Buzz words but no clarity," he wrote on Instagram.
"Not sure how the team evolves from [already] being loved by the public, being ranked number one in Test cricket and the world champions in T20."
A fierce supporter of the former title-winning Western Australia Warriors and Perth Scorchers coach, Matthews admitted Langer's much-publicised intensity could "at times, go a bit far".
But, she said, a lack of transparency and common decency had contributed to the coach's messy exit.
"There's so many aspects to it that you can focus on," she told the ABC.
"It's up to CA who they want to coach the Australian side. My difficulty here is how Justin's been treated as a person.
"I don't think he's been treated with any sort of respect, kindness or compassion."
Langer's disciplined approach was credited for the rebuilding of the side after the 2018 ball-tampering scandal that saw former coach Darren Lehmann stand down.
Now his exit it's being viewed as ideal for the wounded England side, with former England captain Michael Vaughan publicly endorsing Langer for the job vacated by Chris Silverwood a day earlier.
Matthews said that Langer's laser-focus could be managed and that results spoke for themselves.
"We had a very successful period with Justin, but that's not to say you don't disagree on things," she said.
"Everybody knows he likes honest, up-front conversations.
"Unfortunately, some people — players, administrators, whatever — find those conversations challenging and that's, I think, when things get out of control."
AAP
