Australian coach Darren Lehmann has said that his team will not forego their aggressive, ‘in-their-face’ cricket against England in the ongoing Ashes Test series.
Australia captain Michael Clarke was fined 20 percent of his match fee by the ICC after warning England’s James Anderson to expect a ‘f******’ broken arm at the Gabba and the final day of the first Test, which Australia won by 381 runs, boiled over with constant sledging and plenty of finger pointing.
According to Sport24, Lehmann said that he wants to take Australian cricket back to the golden eras of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, the Chappell brothers and Steve Waugh, adding that the playing days of strong-willed Australian characters like Merv Hughes, Rod Marsh and Allan Border were defined by a good hard brand of cricket
Indicating that Australia would not be backing off from their fiercely-fought cricket at the Gabba, Lehmann also said that although the hosts would play within the rules, they would not forego aggressive, in-their-face cricket which was a trademark of those eras, adding that Australia performs best while playing aggressively.
Lehmann also said that he likes to players expressing themselves in the game, which is the sort of cricket fans want to see, adding that Johnson has filled his role brilliantly with aggression and confidence, adding that in such a form, the paceman produces the type of performances that are a rare and precious sight in the modern game.
Lehmann said Johnson’s blistering spell at the Gabba reminded him of Australian cricket in the Lillee-Thomson era of the 1970s. (ANI)