Lehmann bristles at Howard’s ‘reinvention’ call

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann bristled at suggestions that he or his support staff needed further change or “reinvention” following a drought-breaking victory over South Africa in Adelaide, at the same time revealing how much pressure he has been under in recent weeks.

Lehmann did not enjoy being told through the press by team performance manager Pat Howard that he needed to “reinvent” himself as a coach following the recent run of five consecutive defeats, a streak that also coincided with the release of an autobiographical book, Coach, which outlines his philosophies.

“I was going to wear a suit to the press conference,” Lehmann quipped when asked about Howard’s words. “I didn’t. I chose not to.”

Lehmann was also unhappy to be quizzed on the role of spin coach John Davison, who has a strong working relationship with the team’s No. 1 spin bowler Nathan Lyon but is only seen sporadically on tour with him. Australia is a rare case of an international team not having a full-time spin coach, not only to work with spin bowlers but also to hone the part-time skills of batsmen who bowl spin.

After a recent dry spell, Lyon bowled beautifully in Adelaide with the benefit of Davison’s presence, and he has historically tended to perform at his best when his trusted mentor is nearby. However, Lehmann said he did not want to add to the number of support staff already with the team, and argued that other consultants had been used for Asian …

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