Team culture responsibility rests with Pat Howard, not Darren Lehmann or Steve Smith

THE buck never stopped with Darren Lehmann as Cricket Australia faces scrutiny over how it followed the culture lead set by the 2011 Argus Review into Australian cricket.

THE buck never stopped with Darren Lehmann as Cricket Australia faces scrutiny over how it followed the culture lead set by the 2011 Argus Review into Australian cricket.

The Advertiser exclusively revealed on Tuesday – contrary to national and British reports – that Australian coach Lehmann would not resign due to team ball tampering in the third Test at Cape Town.

Lehmann steadfastly maintained no knowledge of the ball tamper plot involving skipper Steve Smith, vice captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft.

The first of three core structural recommendations in the 2011 Argus Review created a single point of accountability for team culture within CA – the general manager of team performance role filled by Pat Howard.

Darren Lehmann during the Australian Cricket team arrival at Sandton Towers hotel.

CA will want to demonstrate how recommendations of the 2011 Review of Australian cricket were implemented as intended by chair Don Argus, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, Mal Speed and Allan Border.

Lehmann overnight was to confirm in Johannesburg CA’s findings that the decision to ball tamper against South Africa at Newlands was confined to the banned players.

Smith and Warner were banned for 12 months, while Bancroft was suspended for nine months.

Lehmann will concede he’s contravened behavioural guidelines before including a racial outburst against Sri Lanka which was “the biggest mistake of my life”.

However the man described by Border as ‘one of the good guys in Australia cricket’ is no cheat.

“He’ll be under a lot of pressure as far as that’s concerned. But the ball-tampering situation, he didn’t know anything about that and he’s got things to do going forward,” said Border of Lehmann.

Calls from London to Australia for Lehmann to resign were premature.

If Lehmann, contracted until after the 2019 Ashes series, leaves as Australian coach it will be his call.

“No other players or support staff had prior knowledge and this includes Darren Lehmann, who despite inaccurate media reports, has not resigned from his position,” said CA chief James Sutherland.

Legends Waugh, Border and Taylor stipulated in the Argus report that the captain and vice captain had to be externally mentored.

A ‘lack of strong national team culture’ - the prescient issue identified in the Argus report – will again be examined in an independent investigation Sutherland revealed.

Culture within the national team comes under the remit of Howard.

Smith and Lehmann report to the general manager, high performance.

The key responsibility of the GM, high performance was to ensure the ‘right people in are in every role.’

“He has to have a long, hard look at the portrayal of what the Australian cricket team is all about and how it’s perceived. He’ll have to take stock of all of that,” said Border of Lehmann on Fox Sports.

The 2011 Argus Review was commissioned in the wake of a home, 2010-11 Ashes series loss to England.

Selectors Greg Chappell, Jamie Cox and coach Tim Nielsen were high profile casualties for a series loss that pales in significance to the events in South Africa.