Photo Credit: Western Australian Cricket Association
WA Cricket is mourning the loss of former opening batter Rob Langer, who passed away on Thursday, aged 74.
Langer won three Sheffield Shield championships (1974-75, 1976-77 and 1980-81) and two One-Day Cup titles (1973-74 and 1976-77) for his State during a professional career that spanned eight years between January 1974 and March 1982.
The powerful top-order batter – a left-hander like his nephew and WA great Justin Langer – notched up 2,756 runs at 43.06 in 44 First Class games, including five centuries and 18 half-centuries.
He struck a further 338 runs at 28.16 in 15 limited overs games, including a career-best 99 not out during a one-day game against Tasmania in 1981-82.
Langer spent the 1977-78 and 1978-79 seasons playing for Australia’s World Series Cricket side, with his aggressive batting style appealing to the breakaway competition.
It was also reported by multiple news outlets that Langer was on the cusp of Test selection. Among those reports was an article penned by former Australian captain Ian Chappell, who selected the talented dasher in his hypothetical squad to tour England in 1977.
In June 2002 – two decades after retiring as a player – Langer returned to the WACA Ground as High Performance Manager, following a stint as the Western Australian Speedway Commission’s Chief Executive Officer.
The WACA Board, Management, staff and players extend their deepest sympathies to the Langer family.
