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There’s just one man to salute for the Australian cricket team’s massive form reversal – head coach Darren Lehmann.
Sure Mitchell Johnson blew the Englishman off the park with his explosive speed.
Sure David Warner blew them away with his explosive bat.
And sure the baggy greens raised their performance bar to extraordinary heights compared to the 3-0 drubbing in England just four months ago. But that’s the Darren Lehmann way kicking in.
He’s turned a bedraggled, listless, self-destructing side into a ruthlessly confident XI that destroyed the odds-on favourites from the get go.
Tearaway wins in three one-sided Tests by 381, 216, and 150. Who would have ever thought that possible in so short a time?
His secret?
A tension-free environment with just one strict message – enjoy your cricket.
The Lehmann way worked a treat when he took over Queensland to lift them from the basement to the penthouse in just over a year to claim the Sheffield Shield and the Ryobi Cup.
The Lehmann way has worked even faster with the baggy greens – four months.
It must be said that it’s easy to enjoy your cricket when you win by 381, 218, and 150 to reclaim cricket’s most coveted prize – the Ashes.
But they had to play damn good cricket to achieve the target, and that they did.
Next up, a whitewash? Must be on the cards.
Then a tougher litmus test, South Africa in South Africa starting February.
Only after that can we judge more accurately where ‘Boof’ stands among the best.
It’s safe to say he has Geoff Marsh (1996-1999) covered with 19 wins, 12 losses, and nine draws.
So too Tim Nielsen (2007-2011) with 22 wins, 14 losses and 10 draws.
And the man he replaced Mickey Arthur with 11 wins, seven losses, and three draws.
But the benchmarks are Bobby Simpson and John Buchanan.
Simpson was the first Australian coach in 1985 when Allan Border was a reluctant skipper, and didn’t want to be in charge of drills and net practice. Simpson relieved him of those responsibilities.
In 11 years, Simpson turned a bedraggled easybeat side into world-beaters. He was a hands on coach with massive experience as captain, player, and mentor.
All up 29 wins, 20 losses, mainly in the early building period, a tie, and 36 draws in his 86-Test tenure.
And in that time won the 1987 World Cup, regained the 1989 Ashes and broke the Caribbean hoodoo by beating the Windies in 1995 after over a decade of being thumped,
The team evolution:
By 1999, when Buchanan took over from Marsh, the rebuilding started again to become highly impressive over 90 Tests with 69 wins – a world record for a national cricket coach – just 10 losses, and 11 draws.
At one stage the baggy greens won a world record 16 Tests in a row, won a world record 23 ODIs in World Cups, won a Test series in India, and a five-zip Ashes hiding of the old enemy.
Impressive alright.
Buchanan lived by his laptop. Shane Warne didn’t like his coaching methods and they clashed many times.
But nobody can deny Buchanan’s massive strike rate.
His teams:
What a side, arguably one of the very best of all time.
So ‘Boof’ has a fair way to go to catch Bobby Simpson and John Buchanan. But who gives a continental, he’s going great guns thanks very much.
And with Ewen McKenzie achieving the same results with the Wallabies, and Ange Postecoglou just successfully stating out with the Socceroos, we can look forward to a cracking 2014 on three fronts.