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Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:15

Agarkar: Mumbai should have used their bowlers better

A perfectly paced unbeaten 79 from Steven Smith anchored a chase of 165 and steered Rajasthan Royals to a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. It was Royals’ third win in three games and Mumbai’s third loss in three. Once again, Mumbai’s top order failed, and even though Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard gave their innings an explosive finish, their sluggish start proved the difference between the two sides.Royals kept wickets in hand through their chase, and built momentum steadily, with a 64-run second-wicket stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Smith laying the foundation for the final charge. When Rahane was dismissed, Royals needed 73 from 41 balls, with eight wickets in hand.Deepak Hooda, promoted to number four, provided some of the impetus, lofting Shreyas Gopal for two massive sixes in one over, before Lasith Malinga took out his leg stump after spotting him walking too far across his stumps. This left 52 to get from 31.At the fall of Hooda’s wicket, Smith was on 35 off 31, and had struck two fours and no sixes. The change of gears was swift, and it happened in the 17th over. Malinga speared his first two balls into the blockhole. The first one was straight and Smith walked across to clip him over midwicket. The next one was a bit wider to compensate. Smith opened his bat face and steered him past backward point. Fifteen came off that over and Royals were left needing 24 from 18 balls; they got home with five balls remaining.Having chosen to bat, Mumbai were going well enough – 24 for 0 in the middle of the fourth over – when Aaron Finch, stretching for the final stride of a quick single, pulled up with what looked like a hamstring strain. That stalled the momentum the openers had gathered; only four runs came off that over, and Parthiv Patel, coming back on strike after Unmukt Chand managed only one run off the first three balls of the next over, miscued a Dhawal Kulkarni slower ball straight to mid-off. When Rohit Sharma nicked a Stuart Binny outswinger to slip in the seventh over, Mumbai were 31 for 2 – effectively 31 for 3 – and their run-rate had dipped below six an over.By the 10-over mark they had lost Chand and were 45 for 3. Only one run came off the 11th over, bowled by Chris Morris, who kept cramping the left-handed Anderson for room, jagging the ball into him off the pitch and extracting awkward bounce on a couple of occasions to rap him on the handle and the gloves.With some balls skidding through and others stopping on the batsmen, runs were looking extremely hard to get. But Anderson and Pollard stayed alert for the slower balls, ensured they maintained stable bases, and began finding the big hits. Both picked up sixes off James Faulkner in the 14th over, and the run-rate climbed back above five an over.The recovery seemed to have ended when Anderson mishit another Kulkarni slower ball straight to long-off in the 15th over, but replays showed the bowler had overstepped, just about. It was just the sort of luck Mumbai needed after injury to Finch, and they made full use of it. They were 83 for 3 after 15 overs; over the next five overs they came within two runs of doubling their score.Tim Southee, bowling primarily length or just short of it, took the bulk of the punishment – his last two overs went for 36, with Pollard and Anderson hitting him for four fours and three sixes – but no one went unscathed. James Faulkner went for 17 in the 17th over, and Chris Morris, till then the pick of Royals’ seamers, went for 15 in the final over.Anderson kept his plans simple – clear his front leg and swing freely to hit down the ground and over the leg side. Pollard dealt in his trademark one-handed clubs and flat-bat swats down the ground, but also pulled off a couple of stunning flicked sixes. Given the fact that the bowlers were generally looking to go full, and given both batsmen’s power in the V, it was a little strange to see mid-off in the circle and fine leg back on the rope on a couple of occasions. By the end, though, Smith’s batting would ensure his tactics became a distant memory.

A collective batting effort built on a trio of fifties and two hundred-plus stands steered South Australia to 306 for 6 at Gliderol Stadium in Adelaide.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Tom Cooper struck 83 off 121 balls to drive South Australia•Getty Images

A collective batting effort built on three fifties and two hundred-plus stands steered South Australia to 6 for 306 at Gliderol Stadium in Adelaide.Electing to bat, South Australia had a fine start, courtesy Kelvin Smith (56) and Mark Cosgrove (74). They added 112 for the opening partnership, before Smith became Tom Beaton’s second first-class wicket. Tom Cooper (83) then registered his 20th first-class fifty and shared 102 for the fifth wicket with Alex Ross (45) to fortify South Australia. They perished in successive overs, just before stumps, but the first day belonged to South Australia.Ashton Agar took three wickets in 25 overs, but went at 3.64 runs an over.

India’s second tour match in Adelaide has been cancelled as Australian cricket takes a ‘grief now, sport later’ approach following the death of Phillip Hughes. Cricket Australia must also decide over the coming days how to approach the first Test at the Gabba, which is due to start on Thursday next week.Four of the players picked in Australia’s Test squad were on the field at the SCG at the time when Hughes was struck by an ultimately fatal blow during the Sheffield Shield game between New South Wales and South Australia on Tuesday. The full round of Shield matches had been abandoned by the close of Tuesday.After Hughes died on Thursday afternoon, Cricket Australia’s CEO James Sutherland said no thought had yet been given to the Brisbane Test and how Australian cricket would move forward in the immediate future. As well as the Test match, consideration will also need to be given to an appropriate farewell for Hughes.”The Test match next week, we haven’t thought that far ahead and we really don’t think it is appropriate at this time,” Sutherland said. “The whole of Australian cricket is grieving and all we want to do is provide the Hughes family all the support we possibly can right now. In the fullness of time we’ll think about what’s ahead, but to be honest we really haven’t thought that far ahead.”Phillip has only died this afternoon. The important thing is to provide support for everyone. In time people will start to think about what’s next and obviously a funeral is one of those things. But we’ll certainly make sure the Australian public get their opportunity to pay their respects to Phillip in an appropriate way in the foreseeable future.”In the hours after Sutherland spoke, it was confirmed that India’s tour match against a Cricket Australia XI had been cancelled. Initially, the two-day match had been scheduled for Friday-Saturday, and then it was delayed until the weekend. By Thursday evening, it had been abandoned entirely.”Today we were reminded that cricket is just a game and it is the characters that play the game that make it so special,” Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of team performance, said. “We have spoken to the players and the ACA [Australian Cricketers’ Association] and have made the decision based on the best interest of all concerned.”Several of the CA XI players have returned home to seek support and solace from their family, friends and team-mates. We appreciate the support and cooperation shown by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, team management and the India players who have been nothing but respectful during this tragic time.”The India squad was set to train in the Adelaide Oval nets on Friday, but not on the ground proper, as a mark of respect to Hughes. After Hughes died, the India squad released a statement offering its condolences.”The touring Indian team joins the cricketing fraternity across the world in offering condolences to the family of Phil Hughes, who has departed from our midst,” the statement said. “In this moment of grief, we pray that they are bestowed with divine strength to overcome this unfortunate tragedy.”As fellow cricketers we cherish the memories of playing along with him and deeply respect his contribution to the game of cricket.”Grief was also felt around the world: in Sharjah, the second day of the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand was abandoned after news of Hughes’ death was received. The match will resume on Friday and will be extended by a day.It was also confirmed that Sydney’s grade cricket, from first grade through to fifth grade, would not go ahead this weekend “as a mark of respect following the tragic passing of Phillip Hughes”. Hughes played for the Western Suburbs club in Sydney’s first-grade competition after moving to Sydney from the country town of Macksville.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
An all-too familiar tale was seemingly unfolding at Headingley as England’s batsmen were again finding spin an unsolvable puzzle in the middle overs. The dot-ball torture most affected Eoin Morgan, who scored 2 off 19 R Ashwin deliveries before being stumped to leave England at 117 for 4 after 29 overs. Another 220-odd target for India’s batsmen to chase down as they stifled yawns?Joe Root and Jos Buttler erased that scenario with a vigorous century stand, England’s first of the series. Buttler fell on 49 to the sort of comical run-out that goes viral as a gif, but Root sped to his second ODI century, in front of a delighted home crowd. That rousing partnership and some lower-order swinging took England to 294, leaving India with their stiffest challenge of the series.India’s batsmen weren’t up to the task, as recognisable elements from the Test series re-appeared. The opening stand didn’t last long, James Anderson had Virat Kohli nibbling to slip, Moeen Ali made important breakthroughs, and MS Dhoni had too much to do. All of which led to England winning their first ODI since late May.The match began slipping away from India during England’s batting Powerplay, when Root and Buttler walloped boundary after boundary to pillage 55 in five overs. Root made a far bigger overall score, but Buttler’s impact was huge. He began the mayhem in the Powerplay, cashing in against the recalled Umesh Yadav with a crunching four over mid-off followed by a fortuitous top edge over third man for six. Scoring against pace is fine, but what about spin? When Ashwin dropped short two overs later, Buttler bludgeoned him over square leg for four, and then to cow corner for six.Thirty-nine runs had come off the first three Powerplay overs, the chokehold applied by the spinners had came off, and the hitherto watchful Root also started reeling off big hits. Suddenly 300 wasn’t looking like a far-fetched target, particularly given India’s long-standing troubles with death bowling.Buttler had set up a grandstand finish to the innings but he fell in the 43rd over, after blindly setting off for a run even though the ball had barely dribbled past the wicketkeeper. Root then took apart Ravindra Jadeja, as 17 runs came off the 45th over, with the slog-sweep that earned him plenty of runs also bringing up his century. The boos which Moeen complained about were replaced by celebratory shouts of “Rooooot”, as the local boy shrugged off a lean summer in the ODIs.Ben Stokes swung a few sixes, Yadav’s propensity for leaking runs resurfaced and though Mohammed Shami set down some perfect yorkers, England finished close to 300.That score seemed unlikely after Alex Hales’ failure, Alastair Cook again making a sluggish 40-odd, and Moeen’s promotion not working out. Only 49 runs came between the 16th and 30th over, Morgan’s range of sweeps and reverse-sweeps weren’t working, and India’s fielders were diving around in the circle to cut off any easy runs.Unlike his captain though, Root didn’t give it away after getting a start. There were controlled pulls early on, and two stunning straight drives off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, as he began with a mix of boundaries and defence. A direct hit from Jadeja at point could have ended his innings in the 16th over with Root on 23. After that he concentrated on the ones and twos – hitting just one boundary in the next 20 overs – before cashing in towards the end.India’s chase spluttered in the first over itself. Ajinkya Rahane had spoken of how he had sleepless nights after a “silly mistake” cost his wicket in the second ODI; he will toss and turn tonight as well after lazily slicing a wide delivery to point in the first over to fall for a duck.Kohli is at his best when faced with a tall chase, and after a disastrous tour, there were hopes he would provide a glimpse of his talent but his search for a half-century extended as he was caught at slip for 13. Shikhar Dhawan swiped Moeen for a big six but was bowled later in the over attempting the same shot.Ambati Rayudu collected his second half-century in three innings, but he holed out to mid-on soon after. Suresh Raina had already become another of Moeen’s victims, and when Dhoni slapped a short and wide Steven Finn delivery straight to cover in the 37th over, India’s already slender chances were virtually over. The wicket was the luck Finn deserved after both Raina and Rayudu had been put down in one of his earlier overs.Ravindra Jadeja re-enacted his famous Rajput celebration from Lord’s as he picked up a half-century, but there was no real threat of him preventing an England victory. The win will be scant consolation though after a wretched limited-overs home season, with England still having plenty to work out as the World Cup approaches.

أكد وليد عبد الوهاب رئيس هيئة استاد القاهرة الدولي جاهزية الملعب لاستضافة مباريات الدوري المصري الموسم المقبل 2013\2014.

وكان أحمد دياب رئيس رابطة الأندية المصرية المحترفة، قد أعلن عن انطلاق بطولة الدوري المصري في الثامن عشر من شهر سبتمبر الجاري.

وقال عبد الوهاب في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “الحياة” عبر برنامج “كورة كل يوم”: “ستاد القاهرة جاهز لاستضافة مباريات الموسم الجديد، الملعب على أتم الاستعداد بشكل جيد لبداية الموسم الجديد”.

استاد القاهرة: مديونية الزمالك 4.5 مليون جنيه.. ونفذنا 60% من طلبات لجنة دوري السوبر الإفريقي

وأضاف: “سيكون هناك 5 أندية تقام مبارياتهم على ستاد القاهرة وهم الأهلي والزمالك وفيوتشر وزد والبنك الأهلي”.

وأتم: “تحدثنا مع وزير الشباب والرياضة وفضلنا استضافة 5 أندية فقط لمباريتهم وعدم الزيادة عن هذا العدد، وسيراميكا كليوباترا لن يكون ملعبه ستاد القاهرة هذا الموسم”.

وكان الأهلي قد طالب في منتصف الموسم الماضي بإقامة مبارياته على ملعب استاد القاهرة، نظرًا لجودة أرضية الملعب، وذلك بدلًا من خوض لقاءاته على ملعب استاد الأهلي WE السلام.

The former England coach Peter Moores has publicly stated his desire to return to the role as the ECB prepare to start interviews for the new head coach to permanently replace Andy Flower.Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket, has also talked of his interest in the position. It is believed there is a shortlist of five candidates, including the current limited-overs coach Ashley Giles along with Mark Robinson of Sussex and the one overseas option in Trevor Bayliss.Moores’ previous spell as England’s coach came from 2007, when he replaced Duncan Fletcher, until early 2009, when he was sacked at the same time as Kevin Pietersen was stripped of the captaincy. Although remembered for how his spell ended, Moores did identify and mould a number of players who became key to England’s success between 2009 and 2013 including Matt Prior, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, plus brought James Anderson back into the fold.Peter Moores: ‘There’s an excitement to have another go at it’•Getty Images

Since losing his England job Moores has reestablished his credentials at Lancashire, which included leading them to the Championship in 2011. It would be a remarkable comeback if Moores was to earn a second spell in charge of England but there is growing momentum behind his chances, particularly since England’s early exit at the World T20 under Giles.”I’m in the process so I suppose it depends what happens – I’m very conscious that I’m in a job now that I’ve loved and I still love,” Moores said. “There’s an excitement to have another go at it, and a frustration at the last time because in some ways you always have a vision when you’re doing any job of where you want to go.”There’s a draw to go back and work in that environment because you’re working with great players and it’s a very exciting place to work. It’s obviously an interesting time at the moment. It has been a tough winter and it would be an interesting challenge if it came along.”Newell, meanwhile, believes his record at Nottinghamshire over the last 12 years shows he would be able to handle an international role.”I want to bring an atmosphere of relaxed professionalism into the dressing room,” he told . “I think that is what I have done here for the past 12 years. I’m used to building and rebuilding teams. That’s what I’ve had to do over the past 12 years – changing players and changing staff and I’ve got an awful lot of experience to bring.”That’s what I hope to put on offer. It has been a very difficult winter. Nobody is going to say it has been a great winter for English cricket, but just think back six or eight months when we won the Ashes 3-0 and we were playing some really good cricket.”I believe that the talent is there and the player potential is definitely there. It just needs the new coach to put a few things right and I’m sure that’ll be done.”Bayliss, the former Sri Lanka, also put his interest on the record earlier this week.”I am interested in hearing more about the job,” he said. “I am happy doing the jobs I have got at the moment but when it comes to a position like that I would be silly not to find out what they have to say and [I’m] finding out a bit more about it.”

Sri Lanka Cricket has recalled fast bowler Lasith Malinga and spinner Ajantha Mendis from the Big Bash League with immediate effect, so the pair can undertake a training programme in Sri Lanka. Malinga’s fitness is among the selectors’ chief concerns, as the team prepares for a busy limited-overs schedule in the next three months, which features the Asia Cup and World Twenty20.”We felt it is important for all national squad players to undergo a strict training regime in the next few weeks, as Sri Lanka has a heavy schedule ahead,” the SLC secretary, Nishantha Ranatunga, told . “The decision to call back Lasith and Ajantha was taken in consultation with our coaches and national selectors.”This decision comes weeks after the board and selectors had also refused Thisara Perera permission to play in the BBL. On that occasion, the chief selector, Sanath Jayasuriya, cited Perera’s work ethic as a concern and he has now expressed similar sentiments about Malinga’s fitness. Malinga has visibly gained weight over the past eight months and, though he remains a significant asset in the limited-overs sides, his performances have also become less consistent.”You have to admit that Malinga has a serious fitness issue,” Jayasuriya said. “But if he shows serious intentions and is willing work hard and improve himself and if he is ready to show commitment towards national duty, then we feel it is unfair to leave him out. He is obviously a world-class bowler. So, we want him to prove himself by coming back from the Big Bash and working with our coaches and trainers and get back to his full fitness in the next few days.”Malinga has so far been amenable to the board’s request, prompting optimism from the selectors. “He knows that we are keen to help him out and have the patience to manage him and assist him cope with his injury in order to prolong his international career,” Jayasuriya said. “It is a very encouraging sign and we hope everything will turn out well for the country.”Sri Lanka’s next commitment, after finishing their Test series in the UAE, is a tour of Bangladesh, although the limited-overs matches do not begin until February 12.

The upcoming ODI series between South Africa and Pakistan will be more about the teams finding the right balance ahead of the 2015 World Cup

The Preview Firdose Moonda23-Nov-2013Match facts Sunday, November 24, 2013
Start time 10.00 local (0800 GMT)Pakistan will be looking to avoid the batting collapses that have plagued them lately•AFP

Big Picture Pakistan produced their best batting effort in six matches to end their winless streak against South Africa and they will fancy doubling up on that on Sunday. The first of three ODIs, in what has been a marathon-run between these two teams, will be played in Cape Town with much less at stake than there was in the Twenty20 matches.The 2015 World Cup is further away than next year’s World T20, so this series will just be about the teams finding the right combination, something that is particularly important to the hosts. With veteran allrounder Jacques Kallis back in the mix, South Africa will work around him to assess what their squad may still need ahead of the big event.Pakistan, on the other had, may be looking only as far as ensuring their batting line-up finds the solidity it lacked in UAE. Their focus will be on preventing the collapses that have dogged them recently. They have never beaten South Africa in a bilateral ODI series, but will fancy taking an early lead this time, purely because of the timing of the first match.South Africa’s T20 captain, Faf du Plessis will be married on Saturday, and although he is not in the one-day squad, many of his team-mates who will be in attendance at the ceremony. AB de Villiers is the best man, but may have to leave early to take care of his duties as captain the next day. The current South African side has not let off-field events influence their cricket but they also haven’t had a wedding sandwiched between games. With festivities high for the hosts, Pakistan will see this as a chance to pounce.Form guide Pakistan LLLWL(last five completed games, most recent first)
South Africa WWWLWIn the spotlight It has been 21 months and 29 ODIs since Jacques Kallis has played 50-over cricket for South Africa, but he is back with an eye on the 2015 World Cup. With Faf du Plessis dropped, Kallis is likely to occupy the No.3 spot and he will operate as a fifth seamer. In the field, he will likely be stationed at slip, and keep an eye on whether he is also used in an advisory capacity to AB de Villiers.Misbah-ul-Haq rejoined his team amid a cloud of controversy following his television interview with acing PCB chairman Najam Sethi. Although Misbah insisted there was no infighting in the Pakistan team, his parting words in UAE were a demand for more accountability from his batsmen. Misbah has recently developed a reputation as Pakistan’s lone run-machine, and will hope for some support from the rest in this series.Team news With Kallis back in the fray, South Africa could use the opportunity to field their strongest team and see how the players gel. The only decision they have to make is whether they want the experience of the fully-fit Graeme Smith, or the flair of the in-form Quinton de Kock, who can also relieve de Villiers of the wicketkeeping duties, at the top of the order.Ryan McLaren will play the role of the second allrounder, with Wayne Parnell likely to miss out. With a pace attack comprising Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Vernon Philander will also probably find himself on the sidelines.South Africa: (likely)1 Hashim Amla, 2 Graeme Smith/Quinton de Kock (wk) 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 JP Duminy 5 AB de Villiers (capt), 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Lonwabo Tsotsobe 11 Imran TahirMisbah-ul-Haq returns to the batting line-up, which will give Pakistan the stability they badly need. With Mohammad Hafeez performing in the second T20, he is likely to open, leaving Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed to compete for the other opener’s spot. Both contenders have failed to convert their starts. Pakistan also have the option of either Umar Amin or Asad Shafiq in the middle, while Bilawal Bhatti will replace Mohammad Irfan in the bowling department.Pakistan: (likely) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmed Shehzad/Nasir Jamshed, 3 Sohaib Maqsood 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Asad Shafiq/Umar Amin, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Bilawal BhattiStats and trivia Misbah-ul-Haq has been overtaken by Rohit Sharma at the top of the ODI run-charts for 2013, but he can easily reclaim the lead. Misbah is 24 behind Rohit, although he has not scored an ODI hundred this year. Dale Steyn is the only South African bowler to have taken a five-for in ODIs this year. Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi have done the same for Pakistan. Quotes “We weren’t as good in the bowling department as we have been in the past and we bowled a few extras that cost as quite a few runs.”
“We’ve been working really hard but the luck was not with Pakistan. We needed this win to stay positive for the rest of the series.”

تحدث أحمد عادل عبد المنعم حارس مرمى الإسماعيلي عن بقاء فريقه في الدوري المصري الممتاز بعد صراع قوي للهروب من الهبوط للدرجة الأدنى، مهنئًا الأهلي بالتتويج بدرع المسابقة المحلية.

وقال أحمد عادل عبد المنعم في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر القناة “الأولى”: “الجميع يعرفون الظروف الصعبة التي يمر بها نادي الإسماعيلي، وهذا الموسم الأمور أصعب كثيرًا بسبب التغييرات الكثيرة التي حدثت على مدار الموسم”.

وأكمل: “الحمد لله استطعنا تحقيق الهدف في النهاية ومررنا بالموقف الصعب بأمان وأرحنا الجماهير قبل جولة من النهاية”.

وتابع: “إن لم يكن هناك حل سريع وتدخل لتصحيح وضع الإسماعيلي في الفترة القادمة سيكون الأمر صعبًا للغاية، هناك مديونيات ضخمة وعدم استقرار واضح، نتمنى أن يكون هناك حل سريع لأن الإسماعيلي نادي كبير، وعقدي ينتهي معه بنهاية الموسم الحالي”.

طالع | رابطة الأندية تقرر إيقاف 2451 مشجعا لـ الإسماعيلي بعد مباراة الداخلية

وأردف: “لم أوقع لأي ناد حتى الآن ومستمر مع الإسماعيلي حتى آخر مباراة، ثم سأرى ما سيحدث في المستقبل واتخذ القرار النهائي”.

واختتم: “أهنئ النادي الأهلي على تحقيق لقب الدوري المصري وبطولة إفريقيا بعد مجهود كبير قاموا به على مدار الموسم”.

Australia’s new coach Darren Lehmann has pushed enjoyment and a balanced perspective on life as part of his remedy for a team culture that has variously been described as toxic, insular, selfish, undisciplined, and just plain stupid

Daniel Brettig in Taunton25-Jun-2013

Australia’s new coach Darren Lehmann has pushed the importance of fun and a balanced perspective on life to remedy a team culture that has variously been described as toxic, insular, selfish, undisciplined, and just plain stupid. Lehmann has openly desired the national coaching job for quite some time, but given that it has fallen into his lap a mere two weeks before the first Investec Ashes Test, his initial message to the touring team could not afford to be elaborate.Upon the squad’s arrival in the medieval town centre of Taunton, Lehmann sat down his players and staff to set out a simple but clear direction for the Australian team, both on the field and off it. Relieving the tension of the past few days in Bristol and London was high on Lehmann’s list of priorities, while also ensuring focus shifted instantly to Wednesday’s tour match against Somerset.”Hopefully with the enjoyment factor, we’ll get that going for a start,” Lehmann said of the culture he wished to create. “When you start winning games you have a lot of fun so we need to start winning some games, simple as that. It’s about getting all the lads and everyone in a direction we want to go. We’re going one way and that is forward and everything starts afresh.”It’s about life as well, it’s a game of cricket. It’s important we have success and play well but it’s a small part of your life, so we’ve got to make sure we are helping them grow their lives on and off the ground, that is really important to me. Family is a big part of it, enjoying each other’s company while we’re away, and learning about ourselves and different cultures and different people we have in the team.”I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a job I loved and wanted to do because I fell in love with coaching the first day I started with an IPL franchise. It just probably happened in different circumstances that it comes across my path right now.”That path will now include grappling with the various complications of mentoring a national team in 2013, including the influx of Twenty20 money that has muddled the priorities of numerous young players. The absolutes of Lehmann’s time, as a player who had to carve out nigh on 10,000 first-class runs before making his Test debut, have been replaced by greys like the lavish IPL money on offer to cricketers who have not yet grooved their games.When referring to numerous matters of club versus state versus country issues, Australia’s team performance manager Pat Howard remarked last summer that “no-one owns the players now”. Lehmann though spoke with typical confidence about sculpting the natural talent at his disposal into competitive, thoughtful and loyal cricketers.”The priority for us is Australia, that’s every player that is playing any form, their first right is with Australia,” Lehmann said. “We want to pick the best side each and every time and we’ll worry about the other franchises and issues as we go through.”We’re guided by CA and selectors along the way and that’s part and parcel of being a new-age cricketer. One thing I will say, they’re a lot better athletes that I was in my day and it’s just about teaching them and coaching them the best way to play the game in different situations.”Brad Haddin, Australia’s vice-captain, said Lehmann’s imprint on the team should soon be evident, starting with the respect he already engendered for his playing career and domestic coaching. “Darren’s got experience at all levels, as a player, a successful coach and a good person, and he’s known for that around Australian cricket and world cricket,” He said. “I think he’ll come into this environment comfortable with where he’s at and comfortable with where he wants to take the team.”