Cricket: Justin Langer has defended the selection of Peter Siddle to replace the injured Josh Hazlewood but did admit that both Michael Neser and James Pattinson will be ahead of the 67 test veteran.

Aussie test great Damien Martyn has taken the Justin Langer-Geoff Lawson feud to a very personal place after firing off an angry tweet about the former Aussie fast-bowler.

Aussie coach Langer on Tuesday refused to bite back at claims from Lawson that the test mentor was playing favourites in his role as selector ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

The re-call of Peter Siddle to the Aussie test squad has raised eyebrows, despite Langer admitting on Tuesday that James Pattinson is expected to earn selection as Josh Hazlewood’s replacement for the MCG test.

While Langer said “it was not his style to get personal” when asked about Lawson’s comments, the Aussie coach’s former test and West Australian teammate has done exactly that.

Martyn on Wednesday took a swipe at Lawson in a post on Twitter.

“First of all Geoff Lawson is not a legend,” Martyn wrote.

“Secondly JL does not select on personal or emotional decisions. We all can have our own opinions. But get the facts right.”

First of all Geoff Lawson is not a legend... Secondly JL does not select on personal or emotional decisions. We all can have our own opinions. But get the facts right. —Justin Langer responds to legend’s ‘personal’ attack over Peter Siddle selection... https://t.co/jCBWbrId8H — Damien Martyn🏏 (@damienmartyn) December 18, 2019

Martyn was responding to Lawson’s scathing assessment of the selection process at the top of Australian cricket where Langer, in his dual role as selector and coach, and chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns are the only two people involved in the process.

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Lawson said the panel has a “limited view of the game” since Langer doesn’t even have time to watch Australian state cricket.

George Bailey will join the selection panel at the end of his final Big Bash campaign.

Langer defended the decision to re-call Siddle, despite his age.

“Everyone’s got a different opinion on it. That’s OK,” he said.

“I don’t think we should discriminate against Peter Siddle because of his age. “We’re all about winning this Test series and we believe — if required — he’d be the person to help us do that.”

Lawson initially said Langer “sometimes” picks his favourites to play for Australia.

“He’s certainly a Siddle fan, isn’t he?” Lawson said on The Big Sports Breakfast.

“Pattinson was with the group, Neser was there, I’m not sure why you’d be looking outside of those two guys.

“Why are you looking at somebody else, and somebody who hasn’t been getting that many wickets for Victoria in the last few Shield games?

“But Justin Langer has his favourites, unfortunately sometimes he plays them as well.

“That’s one of the problems with having the coach as a selector.

“I have to have a bit of a giggle when I read the selection panel has picked.

“It’s two people. It’s the coach who obviously doesn’t watch state cricket and it’s Trevor Hohns.

“So it’s not a selection panel at all, it’s two people and one of them is not watching any State cricket. So it’s quite a limited view of the game.”

LAWSON’S FRESH SHOT AT ‘BIG BUCKS’ LANGER

Lawson on Tuesday night claimed it was “interesting spin” from Langer to suggest he needed to miss next month’s ODI tour of India to avoid “being a hypocrite.

Langer has decided to skip the three-match series and remain in Australia to spend time with his family.

Lawson questioned the decision for the coach to leave the team in the middle of the summer.

“It’s interesting spin, put on by Justin there about, ‘I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t take time off myself’. He’s on big bucks of course,” he said.

However, he believes the Aussie playing group will benefit from assistant coach Andrew McDonald taking a different approach when he takes the top job for the ten-day tour.

“I think the players will appreciate it, trying to get away from Justin’s full-time heavy work,” he said on Fox Sports News’ Bill and Boz.

“I think they’ll appreciate a different approach from Andrew McDonald. It’s good for the players to have someone barking orders at them.”

LANGER HAS ‘WRITTEN OFF’ AUSSIE STARS

Lawson says it is his belief that Langer has a tendency to “write off” Aussie players that disappoint him.

As selectors on Tuesday made seven changes to the Aussie ODI squad, Lawson said it appears Langer has put a line through Usman Khawaja and Glenn Maxwell playing one-day cricket for Australia again.

When asked if Langer has given up on Khawaja and Maxwell as international limited overs players, Lawson said: “It looks like it.

“The off the record stuff is that Justin writes people off and those two guys are in the written off list.”

— with AAP