Abdul
ODI Debutant
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Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann said Steve Rixon should concentrate more on his own job as Pakistan fielding coach.
Darren Lehmann has delivered a withering spray at former assistant Steve Rixon, accusing the Pakistan fielding coach of poor sportsmanship and saying the ex-Australian wicketkeeper "obviously has a gripe to bear against us".
The test cricket series between Australia and Pakistan, which reaches its finale in Sydney from Tuesday, has been played in a good spirit on the ground, with the hosts now holding a 2-0 lead after dramatic fifth-day victories in Brisbane and Melbourne.
There is clearly some acrimony off the field, however, if the Australian head coach's comments after the Boxing Day Test win are any indication.
The return of Lehmann's predecessor Mickey Arthur as Pakistan head coach had been cast before the series as one of the more interesting sub-plots of the summer, but behind the scenes it is one of Arthur's assistants who has irked some in the Australian set-up.
Rixon had suggested in the aftermath of Australia's close call at the Gabba that the home dressing room had become "panicky" on the final afternoon of the first test as Pakistan surged towards what would have been an incredible come-from-behind win and a world-record fourth innings pursuit.
He had also defended Steve Smith over criticism of his tactics in Brisbane, appearing to take a swipe at the influence of Lehmann by saying the Australian captain had probably been instructed to set fields by "lots of other people at the top there".
Lehmann hit back in the wake of Australia's stunning win by an innings and 18 runs in Melbourne.
"I think he had a go at the coaching staff as well, Steve [Rixon]. It was nice of him to shake no one hand's tonight after they lost," Lehmann told BT Sport, the British broadcaster of Australian internationals.
"Maybe he should concentrate on them catching the ball better as the fielding coach. They're comments that you don't really have to say but obviously he has a gripe to bear against us. That's well within his right, but I'd be worrying about them catching the ball."
Rixon, who was an assistant coach to Lehmann until he was dumped three years ago and also featured in the backroom staff of the previous Australian coaches, Arthur and Tim Nielsen, denied not shaking the hands of opposition players and officials when contacted on Saturday.
"Ask all his players. I shook every player's hand and the manager's," Rixon said.
"It's just happened that I didn't shake [Lehmann's] because he was doing something else by then, but there was nothing in that.
"Maybe 'Boof' should do his homework better.
"I don't really care about what other people say."
Rixon, a former New South Wales and New Zealand head coach, had once been seen as a potential successor to Nielsen after the Argus review of 2011, but Arthur was appointed instead.
While touring New Zealand with Pakistan in November he said he had once had ambitions to be Australian head coach but railed against the process "he had to go through" when having previously been in the running.
Lehmann explained at the time of Rixon's axing in January 2014 that he wanted his players given more dedicated skill-based training, saying "changes to how we support our players means it is no longer necessary to have a full-time assistant coach travelling with the team".
Pakistan's fielding has let them down in the series to date, no more glaringly than when seamer Sohail Khan produced a clanger at long-on at the MCG on Friday to let Mitchell Starc off the hook on 51.
Starc went on to blaze seven sixes in a score of 84 that helped the unbeaten Smith give Australia's attack, led by Starc, the winning chance that they seized.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...oach-darren-lehmann-lashes-out-at-steve-rixon
Darren Lehmann has delivered a withering spray at former assistant Steve Rixon, accusing the Pakistan fielding coach of poor sportsmanship and saying the ex-Australian wicketkeeper "obviously has a gripe to bear against us".
The test cricket series between Australia and Pakistan, which reaches its finale in Sydney from Tuesday, has been played in a good spirit on the ground, with the hosts now holding a 2-0 lead after dramatic fifth-day victories in Brisbane and Melbourne.
There is clearly some acrimony off the field, however, if the Australian head coach's comments after the Boxing Day Test win are any indication.
The return of Lehmann's predecessor Mickey Arthur as Pakistan head coach had been cast before the series as one of the more interesting sub-plots of the summer, but behind the scenes it is one of Arthur's assistants who has irked some in the Australian set-up.
Rixon had suggested in the aftermath of Australia's close call at the Gabba that the home dressing room had become "panicky" on the final afternoon of the first test as Pakistan surged towards what would have been an incredible come-from-behind win and a world-record fourth innings pursuit.
He had also defended Steve Smith over criticism of his tactics in Brisbane, appearing to take a swipe at the influence of Lehmann by saying the Australian captain had probably been instructed to set fields by "lots of other people at the top there".
Lehmann hit back in the wake of Australia's stunning win by an innings and 18 runs in Melbourne.
"I think he had a go at the coaching staff as well, Steve [Rixon]. It was nice of him to shake no one hand's tonight after they lost," Lehmann told BT Sport, the British broadcaster of Australian internationals.
"Maybe he should concentrate on them catching the ball better as the fielding coach. They're comments that you don't really have to say but obviously he has a gripe to bear against us. That's well within his right, but I'd be worrying about them catching the ball."
Rixon, who was an assistant coach to Lehmann until he was dumped three years ago and also featured in the backroom staff of the previous Australian coaches, Arthur and Tim Nielsen, denied not shaking the hands of opposition players and officials when contacted on Saturday.
"Ask all his players. I shook every player's hand and the manager's," Rixon said.
"It's just happened that I didn't shake [Lehmann's] because he was doing something else by then, but there was nothing in that.
"Maybe 'Boof' should do his homework better.
"I don't really care about what other people say."
Rixon, a former New South Wales and New Zealand head coach, had once been seen as a potential successor to Nielsen after the Argus review of 2011, but Arthur was appointed instead.
While touring New Zealand with Pakistan in November he said he had once had ambitions to be Australian head coach but railed against the process "he had to go through" when having previously been in the running.
Lehmann explained at the time of Rixon's axing in January 2014 that he wanted his players given more dedicated skill-based training, saying "changes to how we support our players means it is no longer necessary to have a full-time assistant coach travelling with the team".
Pakistan's fielding has let them down in the series to date, no more glaringly than when seamer Sohail Khan produced a clanger at long-on at the MCG on Friday to let Mitchell Starc off the hook on 51.
Starc went on to blaze seven sixes in a score of 84 that helped the unbeaten Smith give Australia's attack, led by Starc, the winning chance that they seized.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...oach-darren-lehmann-lashes-out-at-steve-rixon
