The boys are hurting: Lehmann

Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, accepted that the criticism coming his side's way after losing to Bangladesh by 20 runs in the first Test in Dhaka was warranted.

A 2-0 defeat to Bangladesh would see Australia slip to from fifth to sixth place in the International Cricket Council Rankings in Tests.

"The boys are all hurting with the criticism you get (but) you deserve that when you don't win," Lehmann said on Friday ahead of the second Test in Chittagong on September 4. "They have been quiet the last couple of days, and really just getting their heads right. I can't complain about their work ethic and everything off the ground – they are ready to go. It is just that change of mindset when they cross the rope."

Lehmann pointed out that the odds are stacked against the visiting team. "When you are the away team, I think you are always the underdog wherever you are playing," he insisted. "The home teams know their conditions really well, they match up and suit how they want to play against every opposition, so you won't see too much bounce in the wicket, for example. And that's just the way it is. It's the same when you go to India or wherever you go."

Lehmann felt the challenge for Australia was to pick players that could be relied upon no matter the surface rather than ringing in the changes every series. "You are trying to look for that all-round player that can actually adapt in all conditions so you don't have to keep chopping and changing with horses for courses," he explained. "You want to pick a side, a group, that can play together for five to ten years if that is possible and that is what we are trying to do. For us it is a long-term view. Obviously you have still got to get results going your way."

Lehmann believed that the players more or less picked themselves for the Ashes series at home, which begins in November.

"It is important to have a settled group where you possibly can," admitted Lehmann. "Obviously the result (in Dhaka) didn't go our way so we have to think what we are doing there and think how we want to go about it. But for the Ashes, we are pretty clear on where we are going and who want to play in that scenario in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and all of those wickets.

"Most of the guys obviously know the Australian conditions really well. (But) that's too far ahead for us to look at. We have got a pretty important Test match over the next couple of days."