Darren Lehmann’s England Coaching Verdict
After leading Northamptonshire to a record-equalling third T20 Blast triumph at Edgbaston, Darren Lehmann dismissed the idea that he could take over as England’s Test coach and implied that the ECB had “already made the decision” over Brendon McCullum’s replacement.
Following the ball-tampering controversy in 2018, Lehmann resigned as Australia’s head coach and hasn’t worked as an international cricket coach since. He signed a contract extension until 2029 earlier this season after joining Northants as head coach last year. During the English winter, he also works as a broadcaster for ABC Radio in Australia.
Andy Flower, the early choice for the position, declared himself out of contention on Friday, delaying the ECB’s search for a new head coach following McCullum’s recent dismissal from the Test position.
Although Darren Lehmann name has been mentioned in various rumours, it is not thought that he is on the shortlist of possible candidates.
When asked if he would be interested in the position, Lehmann responded, “I’m not sure my wife wants me to spend 300 days [a year] away again.”
“There’s no reason to worry about it because I haven’t spoken to them. In my opinion, if they’ve fired Brendon McCullum, they’ve already decided and had someone working behind the scenes because that’s how things operate.”
Since Flower announced his intention to continue teaching on the franchise circuit, Stephen Fleming, Justin Langer, and Richard Dawson have been the front-runners for the position. Following his resignation as coach of the Chennai Super Kings last week, Fleming stated that he would “100% give it some consideration” if hired.
After strong defences against Somerset and Hampshire, Northants raised the Blast trophy on Saturday night. Darren Lehmann stated that David Willey, who led the county to victory at the age of 36, deserved a great deal of praise for his leadership
He’s been excellent for us,” Darren Lehmann remarked. “He has done a great job leading the team. I have nothing but praise for Dave and his leadership abilities.
He pays unparalleled attention to detail. He calls me a lot; either I call him or he calls me, and half the time it’s quite strange. I find it pretty refreshing to have a leader who is willing to make errors and is so committed to helping his men improve.
He’s one of the guys I would pick first on any team. I simply adore the approach he takes. As a 36-year-old, he is making an effort to improve. To improve that requires some guts. I’m rather pleased of him [for] it.”
Darren Lehmann went on to say that his accomplishments as a coach, notably with Australia, were “right up there” with winning the Blast with Northants.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some really good players and win some big trophies – but this is a big trophy, mainly because of what we’ve got,” he stated. “We’re a small club, small budget, but we play big.”
