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Defeat wake-up call we needed: Langer

Warriors coach Justin Langer says his team will be better for opening loss to Redbacks

Western Australia coach Justin Langer believes the reigning one-day champions received the wake-up call they need in their shock defeat to South Australia on the opening day of the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup.

The Alcohol.Think Again Western Warriors entered the clash as heavy favourites with four members of the national Test squad – Cameron Bancroft, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh and Adam Voges – returning to the state side following the postponement of the Bangladesh Test tour.

But while the Warriors batting line-up featured a top five who had spent the winter plying their trade in competitive action across India and the United Kingdom, the much-vaunted bowling attack was desperately short of time out in the middle.

Left-arm quicks Joel Paris (3-63 off nine overs) and Jason Behrendorff (0-48 off six) both played their first game since returning from long-term injuries last summer and struggled to find the consistency that saw them claim 24 wickets at an average of just 14.5 between them in last year’s tournament.

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As in previous years, the Perth Scorchers were in line to play at the lucrative Champions League Twenty20 tournament - usually held in September - before the concept was officially cancelled in July this year.

All 11 of the Warriors players that took the field at Hurstville Oval yesterday are contracted to the Scorchers and coach Langer believes it may have been a missing element in his side’s limited-overs preparation.

"The most important observation for me is that you can’t ever replicate matchplay," Langer told cricket.com.au.

"I look at Joel Paris and Jason Behrendorff, they haven’t played for a year.

"Simon Mackin has hardly played all winter and AJ Tye is the same, so we haven’t played much cricket.

"In the last couple of years we’ve gone to the Champions League and played a lot of competitive cricket leading into the season.

"That’s no excuse, it’s just the facts.

"We have to make sure we take something out of this match, just get a bit match-hardened and make a better fist of it next game."

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While disappointed with his side’s performance overall, the Australian Test great was full of praise for Travis Head’s match-winning knock of 202.

The Redbacks skipper blasted 20 fours and 12 sixes in his record-breaking performance, albeit in conditions Langer is not accustomed to seeing in Australia.

"I thought Travis Head’s innings was outstanding," Langer said.

"It was a very flat wicket and a very small ground, but 200 in 120 balls is usually going to win you most games of cricket and that’s a great compliment to him.

"When you get four hundreds in a game and five wickets for the whole match, it probably suggests it’s a pretty flat wicket. Something you might see in the subcontinent and not in Australia."

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The defending champions now have a five-day break until their next match against the NSW Blues in a rematch of last season’s final and Langer was adamant his players would not be using that time to relax and refresh.

"We’ve got five days now (between games) and we actually need to start playing cricket," Langer said after the six-wicket defeat.

"As I said, you can’t replicate matchplay and we need to get out on the park and start playing some really competitive cricket.

"Today was a good wake-up call for us and hopefully we’ll be better for the next run."