After winning the Ashes with 2 games in hand, coach Darren
Lehmann couldn’t hide his joy at the boys performing so well. Indeed, the
Australia coach and former player is of the opinion that this unit of players
could actually go on to dominate the Test arena for years to come.
"I'm pretty sure they can hang together this group,
they're young enough to play for a few years together and that was the key 12
months ago, even though we've changed some of those younger players," said
Lehmann on the change of policy after Hobart loss in 2016.
The former Deccan Chargers coach also enthused that this
team could stick for a year or even more.
"This group can hang together for the next 12-18
months, and we've got to always evolve and get better at how we play and who we
select and see where we go."
After the Australia squad for this Ashes was announced, the
Australian media caused a backlash against the team for selecting players that
weren’t entirely having a great time in the domestic circuit. Lehmann, however,
placed faith on them owing more to his instincts than logic.
"You don't know how it's going to go when you first
start, and you cop a lot from media and people alike, that's just the way it
is.
"A couple were (instinct decisions), just going with
gut feel to be perfectly honest.”
And now, he is ecstatic that his faith was rewarded by the
players with their performances over the three Tests against England.
"I'm really pleased for the players that they turned up
and played really well, I was impressed by each one of those selections."
Indeed, the Australian has every right to be happy with the selection and should be patting himself on the back. His gut feeling rewarded him as Australia have regained the Ashes and might as well go on to whitewash their bitter rivals.