Langer, who played in 105 Tests for Australia between 1993 and 2007, coached the squad from 2018 to 2022, including a memorable 2-2 drawn Ashes series in 2019. Australia won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2021 under his leadership. They won the Ashes 4-0 at their home stadium.
He has a strong connection with Lord’s, the home stadium of the London Spirit, having played for Middlesex as an overseas player from 1998 to 2000. Additionally, in 2015, he became an honorary member of MCC.
He previously coached Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash and is currently the head coach of Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League.
“I’m delighted to be taking on this role at London Spirit and excited to experience The Hundred,” said Langer. “I’m looking forward to competing in tournaments later this year and working with a talented group of players and coaches.”
London Spirit General Manager Fraser Stewart added: “We are delighted to have secured the services of a highly respected and talented coach in Justin Langer. He excelled during the interview process conducted before Christmas and was a top performer at this competition, in what was a very competitive field.
“Justin has a real passion for the goals and objectives we have for the team, which is to see London Spirit competing at the right end of the table and competing for The Hundreds title. He has made an impressive mark in coaching. He has his resume and we are happy to have him on board.”
Bayliss, who left last month after three years in the role, replaced Shane Warne as Spirit’s head coach ahead of the 2022 season, with Eoin Morgan captaining the play-off side. However, the team recorded only 3 wins and 11 losses over the past two years following Morgan’s retirement.
Bayliss’ side were particularly bad in 2024, losing seven of their eight games with the only exception being a three-wicket win over Welsh Fire. Their top picks in the draft, Shimron Hetmyer and Andre Russell, managed 216 points between them and Dan Lawrence couldn’t get them out of the rut as captain.
The Spirit’s struggles in the men’s hundreds were only highlighted by the success of the women’s team, which won its first title under Heather Knight and Ashley Noffke. Noffke subsequently signed a contract extension until 2025, but lost assistant Ali Maiden to the Birmingham Phoenix.
The appointment follows the deadline for Hundred’s second round of private investment bids, with London Spirit expected to receive the highest offer. Interested bidders for the 49% stake are understood to include at least two IPL franchises – Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants – as well as Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer.
