Lehmann enters race to coach Heat
CRICKET DARREN Lehmann has been interviewed for the Brisbane Heat job but faces tough opposition in his quest to return to the coaching ranks.
The former Australian coach is understood to have been interviewed this week by Queensland Cricket officials as the field for the job vacated by New Zealand’s Dan Vettori was whittled to four.
The others are believed to be Queensland Bulls coach Wade Seccombe, Kiwi Bren- don McCullum, and experienced former Australian allrounder James Hopes, who is an assistant coach with the Heat.
Lehmann, who coached the Heat to their only Big Bash title in 2012-13 and is Brisbanebased, is a frontline candidate for the job, with Seccombe considered the man he has to beat in what is expected to be a tight call.
The interview process is yet to be completed but a decision is expected within the next fortnight.
The move by Lehmann to apply for the job confirms the scars of the Cape Town ball tampering scandal are starting to heal.
Lehmann, who said he had no knowledge his players planned to use sandpaper on the ball in the Test against South Africa, resigned in tears from the national job in the wake of the drama.
After initially being crushed by the episode, his mood appeared to lift during the summer when he performed commentary duties for Fox Cricket and Macquarie Sports Radio.
Late in the summer he told fellow commentators the jobs had helped to rekindle his spirits.
McCullum, who ended his career as a batsman with the Heat earlier this month, is keen to start a coaching career but the fact that Vettori’s stint fell flat may prompt Queensland to look closer to home.
Seccombe coached Queensland to Sheffield Shield glory last season and is highly regarded as a mature character who is bringing the best out of the state’s vast array of young talent.
The advantage of appointing him would be that there would be a continuity of the coaching structure from the Sheffield Shield to the Big Bash in squads that contain many of the same players.
This type of system worked well for Western Australia under Justin Langer before he replaced Lehmann as national coach.
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