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Boof's back! Lehmann cleared to fly to NZ

Australia coach will be back with squad after medical lay-off with deep vein thrombosis

Australia coach Darren Lehmann will return to his role at the helm of the national men’s team on Saturday after being given the all-clear to return to work by medical staff, and he will be aiming to bring a change of luck with him.

Having received the OK to fly having recovered from his bout of deep vein thrombosis, Lehmann will travel to Wellington on Saturday and re-join the team that has slumped to five consecutive defeats in his absence.

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The most recent of those came against New Zealand in the opening Chappell-Hadlee Trophy Series ODI at Auckland’s Eden Park yesterday, with that 159-run loss being the heftiest the team has suffered in the one-day arena during Lehmann’s tenure.

It followed Australia’s defeat at the hands of India in the final ODI of the home summer and then three consecutive losses to M S Dhoni’s team in the KFC T20 Internationals that follow.

However, Lehmann – who turns 46 tomorrow – will not slip back into the role of head coach until the first Test of the two-match series against the Black Caps that begins in Wellington on February 12.

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That responsibility will remain with Acting Head Coach (and team batting coach) Michael di Venuto who will oversee the team’s preparation for the final two ODIs of the Chappell-Hadlee Series at Wellington (Saturday) and Hamilton (Monday).

Lehmann, whose DVT scare was the second he has suffered in recent years, will stay in Wellington at the completion of Saturday’s match and resume his role as Bupa Support Team Coach when the Test squad convenes in the NZ capital next Tuesday to prepare for the first Test.

The fact that he had been previously diagnosed with the potentially fatal blood clotting condition that is exacerbated by long-distance air travel meant Lehmann was unwilling to risk a return to his peripatetic role until he was fully cleared of the threat.

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That was given by Cricket Australia’s Chief Medical Officer John Orchard today.

“Darren has received clearance from specialists in Australia to travel on Saturday and return to work,” Dr Orchard said.

Despite the team’s sudden losing streak coinciding with the coach’s absence, captain Steve Smith and former T20 skipper George Bailey both dismissed suggestions it was a decisive factor in Australia’s recent performances in ODI and T20 matches.

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"We'd love to have our coach here, there's no doubt about that,” Smith said in the aftermath of last night’s heavy loss to the Black Caps.

“He's unwell at the moment obviously and he'll be back soon enough.

“So we've got to move on, and I don't think today was him to blame.

“It was certainly the players. We didn't adapt well enough and we were outplayed.”

Bailey went further when speaking on radio in Australia today, claiming any link drawn between Lehmann’s absence and the team’s change in fortunes was “a bit of a knee-jerk or shallow reaction”.

“Absolutely, we'd love to have him here as head coach but I don't think we can pass the buck,” Bailey told Melbourne station SEN.

"Boof (Lehmann) has been around the group for long enough and we've all played enough with him, including the coaching staff.

"The language is all the same.

The meetings are all run the same. We've prepared the same.

"He was the coach here (in Auckland) when we played in the World Cup 12 months ago and it was much the same result.

"We just haven't played particularly well at this ground (Eden Park) the last couple of times we've played here."