Boof defends record Reports hold no fears for ex-Aussie coach
FORMER Australian coach Darren Lehmann isn’t concerned about the effect looming reports into the culture of the sport and the national team will have on his legacy.
Instead, he has urged everyone in the game to not get caught looking back, to be positive, and is adamant cricket is in a much better spot than detractors would suggest.
Players interviewed as part of the cultural review are bepeople lieved to have been damning of the “win at all costs” mentality driven by the team’s leaders and Cricket Australia’s high performance unit.
Lehmann resigned after the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa, having led the team for five years, which included winning the 2015 World Cup.
About to turn his hand to commentating with Fox Cricket, Lehmann said questions about culture were misguided, but the reviews could provide a necessary turning point.
“I think everyone is moving forward and that’s how it should be. Whatever is in the reports, whatever the recommendations are, so be it,” Lehmann said yesterday.
“It’s just a case of making sure everyone knows what they are, but the game has to move forward.
“During my time we won a couple of Ashes, a World Cup, the winning record was pretty good. It’s for others to judge, me. I can’t be worried about what people say.
“I am torn a little bit because people are always having a go at culture. But they are all pretty good people. What happened (in South Africa) was a mistake, but we have to support them and move on.”
Lehmann, who said he would return to coaching one day, said more wins from the Australian team, in all formats, would be the best answer to any criticism
“I think the game is in better shape than people probably think and I would like to see talk positively about it. That only happens when you start winning games,” he said.
“That’s the level of confidence they have to get to again. But performance is always key. We can talk about a lot of offfield stuff and on-field stuff, but we like to play well and be competitive and win.”