Darren Lehmann Relieved As Things Return To Normalcy
Aug 7, 2017 at 3:44 PM
Saying that the last few months have been profusely turbulent for Australian cricket will just be an understatement. Amidst all the confrontations and chaos, things are finally headed towards normalcy as the highly disputed pay crisis between the Australian Cricketers Association and Cricket Australia have been resolved. As a result of the MoU now being signed between the two parties, Australian cricketers now have regained their employment status and will begin their campaign with a tour of Bangladesh.
Head coach of the side Darren Lehmann recently expressed his delight on the crisis is solved, which had put the team under a serious cloud. Lehmann, right from the very beginning, was vocal in backing his players as endless negotiations with CA yielded no fruitful response.
The coach now, has his eyes set on the side’s upcoming two Test tour of Bangladesh.
“Now the deal is done, it’s a case of us making sure we’re in the best possible place to play some really good cricket,” Lehmann said. “The boys have all still been training while they were off contract, so we’re not behind the times as such.”
Adding that the players were well set for the tour, Lehmann said,
“That’s the really pleasing thing from a coach’s point of view. “A few of the Australia squad players have been in Brisbane for the last few weeks or training with their state systems. That’s been really good for the young state guys to see the Australian boys train so that’s been a plus. “Now we go to Darwin next week and they’re obviously great conditions for us leading into Bangladesh.”
Commenting on the inclusion of young leg spinner Mitchell Swepson, Lehmann cited the need for a second spinner on the dusty pitches of Bangladesh.
” We think it’s going to turn, obviously, so an extra spinner there,” Lehmann said. “If we only play two quicks, we’ve still got an extra quick there as well. “We’ve got plenty of options. It gives us a really good squad going into that tour.”