Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann is set to resign in the wake of a cheating scandal which has tarnished the reputation of the national side.
Lehmann is expected to quit within the next 24 hours, The Telegraph reported.
The coach is reportedly prepared to step down immediately, and it is understood why Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland announced he would fly to South Africa to deal with the fall out from the scandal.
Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann is set to resign in the wake of a cheating scandal which has tarnished the reputation of the national side
Lehmann is expected to quit within the next 24 hours, The Telegraph reported
According to team captain Steve Smith, Lehmann and the rest of the coaching staff were not privy to the plan for rookie player Cameron Bancroft to use sticky tape and granules from the pitch in an illegal attempt to change the condition of the ball.
Western Australia coach and former test player Justin Langer has been approached to replace Lehmann on an interim basis for the third test against South Africa in Johannesburg beginning on Friday, news.com.au reported.
Former captain Ricky Ponting is another contender to replace Lehmann.
Lehmann has been a lightning rod for criticism among an Australian public increasingly fed-up with the team’s behaviour.
An often-jovial figure who has sought to lighten up the Australian dressing room, Lehmann has also been accused of allowing an aggressive team mentality to go largely unchecked.
During the 2013 Ashes – his first series in charge – Lehmann accused Stuart Broad of ‘blatant cheating’ for refusing to walk when he edged a ball to the keeper during the first Test.
While playing for Australia in 2003 Lehmann narrowly avoided a life ban of his own, but for racism rather than cheating
‘From my point of view, I just hope the Australian public give it to him right from the word go for the whole summer and I hope he cries and he goes home,’ Lehmann said ahead of the home Ashes series later that year.’
While playing for Australia in 2003 Lehmann narrowly avoided a life ban of his own, but for racism rather than cheating.
‘C***s, c***s, f***ing black c***s,’ Lehmann was heard shouting as he returned to his dressing room after being run out. Lehmann was banned for five one-day matches for the outburst, after apologising to the Sri Lankan team both in person and in writing.
The batsman avoided a harsher punishment after the Sri Lankans declined to lay charges, and Lehmann insisted no damage had been done.
According to team captain Steve Smith, Lehmann and the rest of the coaching staff were not privy to the plan to tamper with the condition of the ball
More to come