Ashes Betting: Hiring Darren Lehmann could prove a great move for Australia

Darren Lehmann has been handed the Aussie reins

Ralph Ellis believes Darren Lehmann as poacher-turned-gamekeeper could be just what the Aussies need ahead of this summer's Ashes clash...

Darren Lehmann likes a beer. If you don't want to take my word for it, turn to the Twitter page of the new Australian head coach and read the way he describes himself: "Very old, bald cricketer that loves watching the game. Enjoys having a beer with the general public and all the beautiful things that Australia has to offer."

As if that wasn't enough evidence, then several of the handful of Tweets he's sent out while he's been in charge of his country's 'A' team tour around Britain have been to discuss the best place to get a pint. The very last he sent before leaving home revealed he was toasting his departure with, guess what, a cold beer.

So, to get this right, the sacking of Mickey Arthur and the appointment of Lehmann means the Aussie hierarchy have looked at their dysfunctional touring team, with star players who got in trouble going out late drinking, and put in charge a man who likes a pint. I think the phrase is "poacher-turned-gamekeeper".

The point is, however, that it might just be an inspired move. For if anybody is capable of uniting a dressing room that had become hopelessly divided during the ill-fated 578-day reign of a South African, it is Lehmann. The 43-year-old might be a stereotypical Aussie who could have stepped straight out of a Fosters advert, but he is probably exactly what his country needs now.

Lehmann can't lose. England are as short as 1.182/11 to retain the Ashes, but if that happens it won't be the fault of the former Yorkshire captain as he's taken over with only two weeks to prepare. After all he can't cure Michael Clarke's bad back or instantly give a raw side experience of English wickets. But 
if he can heal the wounds behind the scenes, and inspire some of the younger players to produce their best, then he can go back home a hero.

Lehmann is clearly a talented coach. It isn't just his record winning the IPL with Deccan Chargers, or the Sheffield Shield with Queensland, which says that. England's new star Joe Root believes it was his winter at the Lehmann Academy in Adelaide that made a defining difference to his career. People who have worked with him, from Darren Gough who shared a dressing room at Yorkshire to Jason Gillespie who is over here to follow the Ashes, have all welcomed his appointment and marked him down as a deep thinker on the game.

The biggest difference he can make is behind the closed doors of the dressing room. It's a bit like a football team sacking their manager in the teeth of a relegation fight. All the pressure goes away, all the existing jealousies and cliques that split the team can be forgotten. The players all start with a clean slate to impress their new boss. Though they are the same players, somehow they find something extra.

The greatest impact will be in the First Test - and laying England at even money to win at Trent Bridge could turn into an attractive bet.  At the very least there will be a session or two when Lehmann's side do well and give the chance to turn the market green.

Lay England in the First Test at Trent Bridge at 2.01/1