Alongside Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer formed one half of one of the most prolific opening partnerships in the history of the game.

Over six years, the pair of left-handers put on 5,655 runs together at the crease with an averaging opening stand over 50 runs per partnership. This week, Langer, now the Australia head coach, revealed that he came close to retiring from the game in the weeks leading up to his first Test opening the batting with Hayden.

Up until that point in his career, Langer averaged just under 40 from the 39 Tests he had played and at the age of 30, hadn’t yet been selected for any of the first four Tests of the 2001 Ashes. Langer had averaged under 30 across eight Tests over the preceding winter and started to doubt whether he’d be given another opportunity for Australia at Test level.

“Literally, the week before I opened for the first time with Haydos, I told all my family I’m getting on a plane and leaving (and) I’m going home,” Langer told the ABC’s One Plus One programme. “I couldn’t make a run, I thought I’d failed and I’d never play for Australia again. I’d been dropped at the start of the series when I thought I was going to play. My wife had flown over because I was going to retire the week before.”

Langer was handed a lifeline when Michael Slater, Hayden’s then opening partner, was dropped from the XI for the final Test of the series following a similarly barren run. With the Ashes already in the bag, Langer was recalled for the final Test at The Oval.

Langer said: “I was so down in the dumps and out of nowhere, Steve Waugh rings me and says; ‘you’re going to open the batting tomorrow.’

“It was another great lesson. If you just hang in there, you never know what’s around the corner.”

Langer repaid Waugh’s faith in him by scoring a century at The Oval, his first of 16 at the top of the order for Australia.