Congratulations Darren Lehmann

Yorkshire's favourite Australian and honorary Tyke, Darren Lehmann deserves our best wishes in his promotion to become coach of the under-achieving [some might say, downright hopeless] Australian cricket team. Of course, when we extend our best wishes, we are begrudgingly 'happy' to see those nice humble Aussies beat all the other cricketing nations, but just don't be thinking that you can go and re-capture our little urn. 

Lehmann succeeds Mickey Arthur, whose tenure had deteriorated into a shambles in recent months. For many people, the notion of replacing coaches at the outset of an Ashes tour could easily be construed as a panic measure. However, history has demonstrated that bold measures can and do pay off.....from time to time. When the Conservative parliamentary party evicted the late Margaret Thatcher in late 1990, their chances of success at the imminent general election [scarcely eighteen months away] were enhanced by this apparent act of desperation. Meanwhile, in the world of sport, how often have we seen the appointment of a new soccer manager act as a shot in the arm for a failing soccer team?

Lehmann, a brilliant Australian batsman and Yorkshire legend, will be a breath of fresh air to the Australian squad which has imploded in recent months. Whether he can deliver the Ashes at such short notice is another matter entirely. However, he will almost certainly have the opportunity in Australia later in the year to win back the Ashes if the attempt in England proves unfruitful. It will be a test of how much the Australians and Lehmann in particular learn from their adventures in England to see if they can apply their learnt lesson on their own home patch a few months later. England really ought to hold on to the Ashes this summer. I am not sure that the hosts are as good as they were a couple of years ago when they whitewashed a strong Indian team, but while England may have gone into something of a decline, the Australian team that Lehmann has at his disposal is distinctly mediocre. There are no demon bowlers, and the batsmen scarcely compare with the prolific batters of yesteryear. If England cannot get the better of the admirable Lehmann, then it will be they who should be dismissing their coach at the end of August.

We wish Darren Lehmann some semblance of luck, because in the absence of much else, luck is the only straw that the Aussies can grasp at. Of course they will raise their game against England, which renders them dangerous underdogs, but if England are half the team that they think they are, then a convincing home win should be realised, weather permitting. In fact, dare I say it but never will England ever have a better opportunity of achieving a series whitewash.