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Lehmann tips tough Ashes against Bayless

26th May, 2015
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Australia coach Darren Lehmann says the appointment of Trevor Bayliss as England’s coach will ensure the upcoming Ashes series will be fiercely competitive.

Bayliss was confirmed as the new coach of the Old Enemy by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday.

The former NSW batsman, who has previously coached Sri Lanka as well as NSW and Twenty20 franchises the Sydney Sixers and Kolkata Knightriders, said it was an honour to take on the England role.

Under his guidance Sri Lanka rose to No.2 in the Test rankings and reached the 2011 World Cup final.

As recently as last year Bayliss filled in as interim coach during Australia’s Twenty20 series against South Africa, guiding the tourists’ to a series win while Lehmann was in the Middle East following the two-Test series against Pakistan.

Nine members of Australia’s Ashes squad played under Bayliss at NSW while Shane Watson was part of the T20 squad in South Africa.

Speaking on the eve of Australia’s three-day tour match in Antigua, Lehmann congratulated the 52-year-old and said it would make a tough Ashes campaign even tougher.

“He did a great job for us when he took the reigns in the international T20s against South Africa last year, winning two-one,” Lehmann said.

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“A trademark of Trevor’s teams are that they are well prepared and this just serves as another reminder to us that this Ashes will be a tough contest.”

Bayliss will have just over a month to prepare for the Ashes, which start in Cardiff on July 8.

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