Australia coach Darren lehmann has been fined for comments in a radio interview in which he accused England player Stuart Broad of blatant cheating.
Tensions during the Ashes series have been simmering since the first Test when Broad refused to walk after edging a ball from rookie spinner Ashton Agar to Australian captain Michael Clarke at first slip. He went on to share an important partnership that helped England clinch a tight result, and has since defended his decision to stand his ground and await the umpire’s decision despite knowing he was out.
The International Cricket Council announced early on Friday it had fined lehmann 20 percent of his match fee — Australian media reported the figure to be around $3,000 — after he pleaded guilty to the charge of publicly criticizing and making inappropriate comments about a player. His comments about Broad were heavily criticized in England, and former England captain Nasser Hussain questioned whether the fast bowler’s safety would be put at risk because of lehmann’s remarks.
“These boys go out on an evening, they don’t sit in their hotel room,” Hussain said on Sky Sports News. “That’s more likely where Broad will have to be careful because after these words, there might be some Aussie out there that, after having a few beers on an evening, wants to have a little go at Broad.” Under the ICC code of conduct, chief executive David Richardson had five days to decide whether to lay a charge against lehmann, who could have appeared before a hearing if he’d disputed the charges.
“Whilst noting the context and nature of the comments made, showing mutual respect for one’s fellow professionals - including for coaches, players and match officials — is a cornerstone of how we play the game,” Richardson said.
Chappell calls him hypocrite
Former captain Ian Chappell has accused lehmann of hypocrisy in attacking Broad. Chappell said Australians, who’ve traditionally always waited for the umpire’s decision, were in no position to complain about opponents who did exactly the same thing. “I don’t like to be called a cheat and basically he (lehmann) is calling all people who don’t walk a cheat, which would include himself,” Chappell told BBC Radio Five.
“’Cheat’ is not a word you should use very light-heartedly, and even if you are being light-hearted that’s a word you should steer away from,” added Chappell, captain of the successful Australian side of the early to mid 1970s. And even when you’ve got your tongue in your cheek it’s pretty hypocritical for an Australian to complain about somebody not walking.”