Lehmann: Careers are on the line

Cricket365
August 14, 2013

Australia coach Darren Lehmann has warned his players that their places could be in jeopardy following a poor batting performance in the second innings of the fourth Ashes Test, which saw England win by 74 runs.

Australia needed 299 to win, and were well on their way to getting there thanks to a century opening stand between Chris Rogers and David Warner. Once the second wicket fell with the score on 147 though, the Aussies collapsed to 224 all out.

Most Australia batsmen had a poor Test, with Rogers and Warner the only decent knocks in the second innings, and Rogers and Shane Watson doing well in the first. As for the rest, there was not much positive to write home about.

When asked if players' careers were on the line based on performances at The Oval next week, Lehmann said: "Yep. There is nothing wrong with that. I'm happy for you to write whatever you write there.

"To play for Australia, you have to perform to a level that's acceptable to everyone in our team, and also the Australian public and the media, and at the moment we're not doing that.

"I think they've fought really hard and they've shown glimpses of challenging a really good side obviously, but we haven't done that consistently enough. So we'll back them as we have and we will continue to back them, but at the end of the day performances count.

"From our point of view the blokes have got to learn. If they don't learn we will find blokes that will … If they're not, and making the same mistakes, then we've got to change, and that's a simple fact of cricket and results."

Lehmann went on to lament the way in which his players went out, saying most of them had only themselves to blame after playing poor shots and going across the line to the England fast bowlers.

The coach added: "Blokes are missing straight ones. That doesn't help. I thought Warner got a good ball, to be fair, Clarke got a ripper and probably Rogers got a decent ball.

"The rest should have played a lot straighter and they know that."

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