Darren Lehmann said tough calls will need to be made in the aftermath of Australia’s Ashes defeat although replacing Michael Clarke is not one of them, with the head coach confident that Steve Smith is ready to step up and take on the job.
Ten of the 17 players picked for the tour of England were aged 30 or above, and the former captain Ricky Ponting said on the eve of Clarke’s side going 3-1 down at Trent Bridge on Saturday that up to eight of them could be culled as part of the rebuilding process.
Lehmann confirmed the team for the fifth Test at the Kia Oval on 20 August – Clarke’s final match in charge – will be selected from the current party, with no plans to call up any players from the Australia A side currently in India or the likes of Glenn Maxwell in county cricket. Beyond that, there are no guarantees.
“There are going to be tough calls somewhere,” said Lehmann, who claimed his side performed worse this year than during their 3-0 defeat in 2013. “We’re not afraid to make the tough call but you’ve got to also look after Australian cricket in the right way and we’ve got to make sure we’re doing the right things by the players both old and new.
“It’s about moving forward so working out what our best lineup is in different conditions and making sure we’ve got players who can adapt between spinning wickets and seaming wickets, making sure they can cover both formats really well.”
Asked about Smith’s expected ascension to the role of captain, Lehmann added: “We lost one of our greats and when you lose someone as great a player as Michael was – and a leader – you’ve got to find the next man and I think, with board approval, that would be Steve Smith.
“He’ll be aggressive as all Australian captains have been, but he’ll work out what works for him on and off the field.”
Smith, deposed this week as the world’s No1 Test batsman by Joe Root, led Australia with distinction in the absence of the injured Clarke during their last international summer, scoring three centuries in three Test wins over India as the country came to terms with the death of the batsman Phillip Hughes.
Lehmann has no fears about the responsibility of leadership affecting the 26-year-old’s returns with the bat, although said his shot selection since the double hundred in the second Test at Lord’s had let him down during this series.
“I think Steven would admit himself that he probably let himself down in shot selection. He knew what England were going to do, and that’s a learning curve for everyone. Everyone’s learning, coaches, players, and it’s all about getting better. That’s what the game’s about.
“He did a great job in a caretaker role for us under really tough circumstances [following the death of Hughes]. I think he’ll grow and be a really good leader. I think it improved Michael’s batting and hopefully it’s the same for Steven. He’s a good player.”
Asked how much responsibility for Australia’s demise in England he and his fellow selectors should take, Lehmann replied: “A lot. As a coach and selectors we’ve got things wrong at certain times, there’s no doubt about that.
“We’ve got to own up like players have to and everyone else that our performances weren’t good enough, full stop. We’ve got to work on how we’re going to move forward.”
