Darren Lehmann to quit as Australia Cricket Coach

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Darren Lehmann is to quit as head coach of Australia at the end of the current Test series against South Africa.

The 48-year-old will step down after the final Test being played in  in Johannesburg, in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal.

Lehmann, who was cleared of any wrongdoing by Cricket Australia, had said recently he would not resign.

Former skipper Steve Smith plus batsmen David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were banned for their part in the scandal.

Lehmann made his decision after watching Smith and Bancroft deliver emotional apologies at news conferences earlier on Thursday in Australia..

“After viewing Steve and Cameron’s hurting, it’s only fair that I make this decision,” said Lehmann, who was contracted until the 2019 Ashes. “I’m ultimately responsible for the culture of the team.

“This will allow Cricket Australia to complete a full review into the team and allow them to implement changes to regain the trust of the Australian public. This is the right thing for Australian cricket.

“It’s been a wonderful experience coaching the Australian cricket team. I hope the team rebuilds from this and the Australian public finds it in their hearts to forgive these young men.”

He added: “They’ve made a grave mistake but they are not bad people.”

New Australia captain Tim Paine says his decision to introduce a team handshake with opponents South Africa was a “show of respect” by his team.

“We’ve got to be more respectful. It’s time for us to change,” Paine said.

“At times we’ve tended to push the boundaries as far as we possibly could.

“I think that we’ve seen that people probably don’t like that, so it’s time for us to change. We’re happy to do that.”