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Australia’s former fast bowler Glenn McGrath says the sacking of national cricket coach Mickey Arthur was a positive move that has boosted hopes of regaining the Ashes.
Arthur was replaced by Darren Lehmann last week ahead of the first Test starting on July 10.
“I was surprised by the timing but the more I think about it the more positive it seems,” McGrath told British newspaper the Guardian.
“Something had to happen because the way things were drifting it would have gone from bad to worse.
“Arthur had a good record with South Africa but I wasn’t overly impressed by the decision to appoint him. That’s the parochial Aussie in me.”
McGrath said Lehmann was a class player who’d done great things as a coach and would bring out the best in Australia’s Ashes squad because players respected him.
McGrath believes a good start is crucial to hopes of winning back the urn.
“Australia have got the players to perform pretty well and win back the Ashes – as long as the selectors have enough guts to pick the right team,” he said.
McGrath said Chris Rogers, who knows the English conditions well, brought a wealth of experience to the top order.
“They (the selectors) should pick him,” said McGrath.
“And now that Brad Haddin is No.1 keeper again that experience and old-school hardness will be great for this team.”
McGrath said suspended opener David Warner needed to be a lot more disciplined off the field if he wanted to play international cricket.
The 43-year-old praised the Aussie bowlers singling out Peter Siddle’s “immense improvement as the leader”, James Pattinson’s “match-winning enforcer role” and Mitchell Starc’s “left arm swing with the new ball”.
He said while England deserved to be the top-ranked team in the world a few years ago they’d “dropped off a little” since.
“They’re not the same team of a few years ago,” he said.
“(But) still they’ll be quietly confident.”
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