According to Boof

You could easily love him for his five Test centuries and his cavalier approach to batting.

You might also marvel at his 25,000+ first class runs and the sprinkling of wickets that came along whenever ‘Boof’ was invited to roll his arm over.

But more than all that, you might just love the fact Lehmann comes across as one of those ‘normal’ guys that happens to occupy a prominent position on the Australian sporting landscape.

He’s no glory-hound, he’s a cricket coach. And when he’s not coaching there’s every indication he’s a fucking good bloke to be around.

Having helped the Queensland Bulls nail down an impressive Sheffield Shield title in 2011-12, Boof has his eyes on the prize again this season and through canny recruiting combined with expert talent development the Bulls have got every chance of mounting a successful defence come March.

Their one-day form isn’t as impressive, however, the Bulls only managing their first win of the season against Tasmania in Hobart last week.

The manner of the five-wicket win said a lot about Lehmann’s influence on the Queensland outfit, too.

Having leaked 275 runs to the Tigers, the Bulls made a good fist of the chase during the early stages but stumbled mid-way through the innings and suffered a telling reversal to lose Peter Forrest at a critical stage to the whims of domestic one-day cricket’s third umpire review system.

Enter Lehmann and the freewheeling, competitive edge that served him so well during 20 seasons as a first class cricketer.

His Bulls would not lie down and miss the chance of twin wins in Hobart after they’d smashed the home side in the preceding Sheffield Shield match.

Through Nathan Reardon (71 from 54 balls) they scurried home with just a ball to spare – and then they celebrated.

Their victory song rang out around Bellerive Oval and, judging by Lehmann’s appearance when he spoke to media in the aftermath, they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Whether his beer-soaked jacket and dripping hat was anything but an innovative way to spruik the sponsor’s product is debatable, but his dissatisfaction with the review system was palpable – despite his caginess in addressing the issue.

“Now, you know I can’t comment on third umpire decisions. I could comment as a third party, but I won’t,” he said, a wry smile spreading across his face as the dour hacks of the Hobart print media probed for a juicy grab.

He continued, again giving the impression he was reserving his true opinion: “I think the players, and umpires as well, are frustrated with the system… at the moment every game is having issues with the referral system.”

And it’s true.

Such is the nature of the current umpire referral system in place at domestic one-day level, there are contentious decisions being enforced week after week.

Players have been instructed of late not to dawdle from the field if given out in dubious circumstances and not to linger in setting fields or shining the ball after having a close one turned down.

These are both tactics that have crept into the game as players try to give the third umpire as long as possible to see dismissals replayed by the good burghers of broadcast partner Fox Sports.

On Wednesday night in Hobart, Lehmann was so frustrated with the Forrest dismissal that he first waved the playing conditions at the central umpires then scaled stairs into the pavilion to find someone who could offer an official explanation of what had just transpired.

“I was just reading the rule book, the playing conditions,” Lehmann said, grinning again.

And was it, in fact, the third umpire, Paul ‘Blocker’ Wilson, Boof had gone looking for?

“I went and saw the match referee,” he confirmed. “The umpire was still working so I can’t really go and see him.”

Probably lucky for Blocker.

Tasmania skipper George Bailey was less circumspect in his critique of the referral system.

Bailey had the 2011-12 Ryobi Cup torn from his grasp by a late referral in the final that allowed South Australia to sneak off with the trophy.

He’d made a century against the Bulls on Wednesday, later watching his hard work go to waste as the Tigers failed to restrict Queensland under lights.

When asked for his opinion on the contentious system, Bailey took aim and fired with both barrels, the blood draining from his media manager’s face as he did so.

“It’s a debacle. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that… its’ not a debacle, it’s a disgrace,” he said, grinning again as his minder shook her head, warning the national T20 skipper off a full-blown outburst that may turn heads at Cricket Australia.

Bailey went on to suggest the ‘shocking’ system ‘needs to be worked out’. 

“For the ease of the game, the international way is probably the best way,” he said. “I’d just like it changed.”

“The players, it’s their careers on the line. You’re always going to be pushing to the ‘nth’ degree when it’s the game on the line, when it’s your innings, your team.”

“I don’t think you can ever blame the players. It’s hard on the umpires, I think it’s confusing for the umpires.”

As he turned away from the microphones and strode back towards Tasmania’s sullen dressing room, Bailey looked over his left shoulder towards the Queensland rooms and called out to Lehmann who'd found himself a perch just outside the doorway.

“You’d back me up, wouldn’t you, Boof?”

The response was no more than a nod of the head from the old stager.

Doubtless it would have been more if he hadn’t had a can of XXXX Gold to his lips at the time.

It was a priceless moment and served to prove that the veteran’s renowned timing still hasn’t deserted him.

 

 

Photo source: Paul Kane/Getty Images AsiaPac