'Maybe it was a bit too long' – Lehmann on Australia coaching stint
Lehmann, 48, stepped down from his coaching role at the end of the Test tour of South Africa following the ball-tampering incident earlier this year in April.
Following the recent ball-tampering controversy, Darren Lehmann announced that Australia's fourth Test against South Africa is going to be his last assignment as head coach.
— ICC (@ICC) March 30, 2018
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He had taken over before the start of the 2013 Ashes series for an interim period as a replacement for Mickey Arthur, the head coach at the time. However, following the 2013-14 Ashes series success, Lehmann was handed a long-term role.
Since then, under his stewardship, Australia won two home Ashes series and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. For a brief period, they also climbed up to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings.
Australia World Cup Celebrations at MCG !
Australia World Cup Celebrations at MCG !
"I had a fantastic five years coaching Australia," Lehmann told FIVEaa radio. "But I look back now and go ‘maybe it was a bit too long’ to be fair. I speak to Justin Langer [the new coach] quite regularly just making sure he gets some time off where he can because you’re on the road and it’s 300 days of high pressure trying to win every game. That takes its toll.
"It’s 24x7, you don’t sleep. You’re thinking about either the day, the coming day, six months ahead, who you’ve got coming up, what players are coming back from injuries, you’re talking to everyone. It’s literally the most demanding job I’ve ever had, but it’s great fun. Even right to the end, I loved it."