Justin Langer: My regret over public attack

Langer's email to Australian coach Tim Nielsen - a copy of which was left in the Australian dressing room after the drawn First npower Test at Cardiff - offered the view that England bowler Jimmy Anderson could be "a bit of a pussy if worn down".

Langer also claimed England's body language was "flat and lazy" when they were under the cosh but he insisted: "It is not my style to publicly criticise any fellow cricketer, regardless of the colour of the cap they wear.

"Because of this, I am naturally disappointed that some of my personal and private thoughts to a close friend of mine in Tim Nielsen have reached the public domain.

"Over the last 24 hours it has also been very interesting how many messages I have received from people in authority in this country, telling me they agree with much of what I wrote.

"Thankfully, I have had a good chat with Andrew Strauss and he has assured me that my thoughts have been taken with a pinch of salt.

"The fact is that when both teams cross the white line, any opinion, speculation or observation simply becomes irrelevant.

"One thing for certain is that, come next Thursday, the 22 players representing their country will have to be at their best, because this Fifth Test will be the biggest game of their lives.

Australia were brilliant at Headingley, England in Tests two and three - this series has been a magnificent advert for Test cricket."