It might have seemed like a panic measure for Australia to sack their coach Mickey Arthur less than three weeks before the Ashes and give the new incumbent just two matches to prepare his team.
Yet, in replacement Darren Lehmann, it may just be that Cricket Australia have chosen the right man in the nick of time.
Tom Moody, former Australian cricketer and coach of Indian Premier League side Sunrisers Hyderabad, certainly believes so. The two-time World Cup-winner is careful not to overstate the impact Lehmann can have, but Moody doubtless recognises a fellow winner when he meets one and Lehmann, both on the field with his native South Australia and his country and off it as coach of Queensland, has a persuasive pedigree.
"Even though it's an off-field appointment – they suddenly haven't inherited a Sir Donald Bradman in the batting line-up or a Dennis Lillee in the bowling line-up – they have have secured a mentor," said Moody. "He is a coach who will provide an environment where players will feel free to enjoy themselves within limitations but express themselves under pressure on the field of play without fearing the consequences if it doesn't go their way."
Lehmann, it seems, is broadly in favour of licence for players to express their talent. A game-changer with the bat, he was granted that freedom himself by an Australia top order which frequently created the platform his explosive game could exploit. He was a player with a one-off mixture of power and dexterity – he could hit the ball in directions others could not – and a nightmare to bowl at once set.
In an era of domination Australia can now only dream of wistfully, Lehmann was made to wait before he could fulfil his international potential. It may be that experience – one shared by Damien Martyn, another Australian of a slightly younger vintage – has also nurtured a harder, less-forgiving side to the new man in charge.
"With Darren, his coaching has been 'we are going to have fun, we are going to enjoy it'," said Martyn. "But with Queensland, he has sent guys home who are five minutes late for training. They can't train. He gives them a tongue-lashing as well."
His first two-and-a-half weeks in charge have been a baptism of fire, with the new coach racing to quell anxieties bred by apparent personality clashes, Michael Clarke's persistent back injury and then, of course, by that infamous punch Australia opener David Warner half-landed on England batsman Joe Root in a Birmingham bar last month. Against a distinctly unpromising backdrop, Lehmann's brief is to somehow motivate the squad to play above themselves this summer – as they must if they are to upset the odds against England.
"I just hope I take pressure off all the players," he said. "We've got to let them play the game of cricket. It's a tough enough game at the best of times, so my role is to make sure they're enjoying themselves on and off the field, learning about the game and all those things, and making sure we play a positive brand of cricket."
Clarke, the Australia captain, has warned England they may have erred by dropping Nick Compton for the Ashes. The hosts acted ruthlessly by excluding Compton for the first Test, a call apparently based on two stuttering performances against New Zealand at the start of the summer.
Joe Root will open when the series gets under way at Trent Bridge today, with fellow Yorkshireman Jonny Bairstow slotting into the middle order, a decision that left Compton to claim he had "not been given a fair crack of the whip" after nine appearances.
He played in both of Australia's pre-Test warm-ups, first for employers Somerset and then on a one-off basis for Worcestershire, scoring 220 runs at 55 but was still dropped from the squad, a decision that left Clarke surprised. "We haven't bowled to Joe yet, but we didn't manage to get Nick out that easily, so I'm happy he's not playing, to be honest," said Clarke.
"I think Nick showed over the last couple of four-day matches that he's got a lot of class; he's got a very good defence and I'm surprised he's not in the first Test team for England."
Clarke also confirmed David Warner will be considered for selection, though not in his customary opening slot. "Obviously he hasn't played any four-day cricket, but if David is selected I'm confident he'll have success. I'm as convinced as I can be," he said.
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