We need to be more like New Zealand - Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann

  • 29/03/2018

Australia cricket coach Darren Lehmann has broken his silence on the ball-tampering scandal which has rocked the sporting world.

The ball-tampering saga has seen Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft all banned for up to 12 months and barred from captaincy - for life in Warner's case.

Cameras showed Bancroft with sandpaper which was being used to rough up the ball in the recent test against South Africa, and an investigation found that Warner was the chief instigator - with Smith also knowing about the incident.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the fourth and final test, a distraught and disappointed Lehmann admitted both he and Australia's cricket team have to change, vowing to oversee a cultural overhaul.

"Obviously previously we've butted heads on the line, but that's not the way to go about us playing cricket moving forward," he said in Johannesburg.

 "The thing for me would be if we take a leaf out of someone like say New Zealand's book - the way they play and respect the opposition.

"We do respect the opposition, but we push the boundaries on the ground. So we've got to make sure we're respecting the game, its traditions, and understanding [how] the game holds itself around the world."

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) boss James Sutherland insists footage of Lehmann from the third test has been misconstrued.

Footage showed Lehmann using a walkie-talkie to contact 12th man Peter Handscomb. Handscomb then runs out a message to Bancroft.

It has been widely alleged that Lehmann wanted Bancroft to conceal the evidence, something the side's most inexperienced player spectacularly failed to do when he shoved the sandpaper down his pants.

However, it turned out to be the opposite.

"It's been verified by others that on the walkie-talkie ... he radioed down and said 'what the f*** is going on!?'," Sutherland told reporters.   

"He said to Handscomb, 'find out what the f*** is going on'.   

Lehmann then interrogated players himself at tea on day three of the test in Cape Town.   

"He brought everyone into a room when the next break was, and he basically went through everyone and said, 'What is going on?'" Sutherland said.

The fourth test gets underway on Friday (NZ time) at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

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