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Darren Lehmann has ruled out taking back the reins of the Australian men's cricket team in the future, saying his return to coaching with the Big Bash League's (BBL) Brisbane Heat is simply the result of falling "in love with the game again".
- Darren Lehmann resigned as Australia coach in March last year in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal
- Lehmann says he experienced a "tough time" during the fallout of what happened in South Africa
- He is contracted to coach the Brisbane Heat for the next two BBL seasons
Lehmann resigned as Australia coach during the fallout from the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal last March, which saw Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft handed lengthy suspensions.
The coach said at the time he had no prior knowledge of the sandpaper incident and stepped down voluntarily.
Lehmann remained involved with cricket in a media capacity during the summer and last November revealed on Sydney radio station 2GB he would "love" to coach Australia again.
But upon his appointment as Heat coach for the next two BBL seasons, he admitted he no longer had a desire to coach Australia in a second stint.
"No, I'm not travelling 300 days away again a year and I don't think my wife would let me either," said Lehmann, who coached Australia from 2013 to 2018.
Lehmann said the ball-tampering saga had left him "hurt" but explained that rediscovering his enjoyment for cricket was the reason he wanted to return to coaching the Heat, the team he guided to the 2012/13 BBL title.
"It was a tough time for everyone involved, none more so than the three players," he said.
"So for me it's a case of really enjoying the game again. I went away and watched the game all summer, which was absolutely fantastic."
Photo:
Darren Lehmann has spoken regularly to Steve Smith (left) during his ban. (AP: Rafiq Maqbool)
Lehmann said he did not agree with the findings of the review Cricket Australia (CA) commissioned after the incident in South Africa, which suggested the national men's team operated within a "winning without counting the costs" environment.
He said he took particular offence to the suggestion a toxic culture existed, as he believed there was no criticism of the Australian team when it beat England in the home Ashes series prior to the South Africa tour.
"Against England when it was 4-0 there was no attack on culture then," he said.
"We understand that that's what happens when something like that [ball-tampering scandal] happens."
Lehmann said he had spoken "quite regularly" with Smith, Warner and Bancroft since they were handed their bans from CA.
Topics: sport, cricket, twenty20, brisbane-4000