Test talk is off the agenda for Australian coach Darren Lehmann and in-form son Jake

BOOF’S boy has admitted having his dad as Australian coach “makes it hard’’ when he is pushing for a Test debut.

Australian Test aspirant Jake Lehmann smashes the ball through the covers for four on his way to his first innings century against Victoria at the MCG. Picture: Michael Dodge (Getty Images).

• Compelling case for Lehmann inclusion: Harris
• Lehmann ready for Test cricket: Head
• Harsh truth behind historic Starc feat
• Bring on spice: Broad ready to square up to Aussies
• ‘Don’t drink with him, he’s got hollow legs’
• Form, not age, should determine selection

BOOF’S boy has admitted having his dad as Australian coach “makes it hard’’ when he is pushing for a Test debut.

So he says the pair have “pretty much come to an agreement’’ that cricket talk is off the agenda when father and son get together.

“Cricket is business and stays there (at the ground) and when you are at home or just together it’s just family, it’s the old man and his son, just normal as always,’’ said in-form Redbacks batsman Jake Lehmann, who thrust his name in front of the Australian selectors with 103 and 93 in the Sheffield Shield clash against Victoria.

Jake Lehmann with his dad, Darren Lehmann.

“There’s been a lot of talk about it (Lehmann making his Test debut in the Ashes series) and I saw the old man on Tuesday night, he was at the Melbourne Cup having a couple of frothies, and we actually had no conversations about it at all.

“Coops (Redbacks teammate Tom Cooper) dropped a couple of little questions in there (about the Ashes) but there was no response, it was all pretty clean slate.’’

Cricket Australia XI coach Ryan Harris has described a possible Lehmann father-son Test combination as “quite funny’’.

Jake says he has “no idea’’ how he would cope if he was playing under dad Darren, nicknamed “Boof’’, for Australia.

“If it did happen, I don’t know how it would work,’’ he said.

“So we won’t worry about it until that actually happens.’’

Jake, 25, has gone from smoky to genuine contender for a berth in Australia’s top-six batting line-up after his man-of-the-match performance in the draw against the Bushrangers.

Redbacks coach Jamie Siddons has declared “there’s no batsman around the country who is putting their hand up as much as Jake Lehmann’’.

Lehmann is making no secret of his desire to play for Australia, saying “if you are not thinking about playing for Australia you are not playing state cricket for the right reasons’’.

And he is not shying away from the sudden fanfare about his Test claims.

“It’s popping up everywhere at the moment,’’ the laid-back left-hander said.

LISTEN! Episode two of our new podcast “CRICKET UNFILTERED” is now live featuring all the latest on Test selections and who will take that crucial No. 6 spot plus interviews with Nicole Bolton and Travis Dean.

“It’s always good fun to watch your highlights pop up on social media, I’m not going to lie, I’m going to watch them.

“It was a good week for me with the stick, to go in during the first innings when we were in a little bit of trouble and get a hundred, although it would have been nice to have got a big-daddy hundred like ‘Fergy’ (Callum Ferguson) did.’’

Lehmann, who will have one final Ashes audition in next week’s Shield clash against Western Australia in Perth, said improving his play against spin this season had helped take his game to the next level.

[e-mail]