Ashes 2013: England's Stuart Broad accepts apology from Darren Lehmann

Lehmann was fined 20 per cent of his match fee for the fifth Ashes Test for describing, during a radio interview on the eve of the match, Broad's refusal to walk after an edge in the series opener as "blatant cheating".

But the England man said the matter was now closed. Broad wrote on Twitter: "Spoke to Darren Lehmann last night. He apologised for his comments, I accepted it. He said they were made in Jest for banter. Done."

England took a series besieged by talking points 3-0, with Lehmann at the heart of some of them.

Speaking to Australian radio station Triple M about Broad last week, Lehmann also called on the Australian public to "get stuck into him" when England tour this winter, adding that he hoped the seamer "cries and goes home".

England were not moved to report the incident to the International Cricket Council, but ICC chief executive Dave Richardson laid a charge himself and Lehmann pleaded guilty to "publicly criticising and making inappropriate comments" about Broad.

He accepted match referee Roshan Mahanama's proposal of a 20 per cent fine - about £2,000 - which meant no formal hearing was necessary.

Lehmann has insisted he would learn from the Broad situation. "I've had a chat with him already. We just move on," he said. "It was a good learning curve for a new coach, wasn't it? You know, [it was] a jovial setting but you've got to learn from that. I've got to learn and improve from that.

"The players aren't on their own in trying to improve. Coaches have got to improve so that's something I've got to get better at."

Despite the 3-0 defeat and the criticism received following the radio interview, Lehmann still has a passion for the role and is looking forward to the remainder of the tour in England.

"I'm still loving it, it's a great job," he added. "I'd like to win a Test match, but it's a fantastic job. I've seen all the players here, and the one-day and Twenty20 players are starting Thursday, so you get to deal with them and look at how we're going in that format of the game as well.

"By the end of the tour I'll have a really good mindset on all the players which will be quite comforting for me as coach. The players seem to be enjoying it which is good but we also realise we need to win some games."

Having replaced Mickey Arthur barely a fortnight before the opening Test at Trent Bridge, Lehmann believes he has not had time to stamp his own philosophy on the Australia team but expects that to change when England travel Down Under for the return series.

"It is really hard when you've just come into the set-up and the touring side's been picked," Lehmann added.

"When we're back home you'll probably see different things happen, but in terms of hearing a lot of things from outside and not being in that circle for many years, to come in and see how they're trying to improve all the time - that was impressive for me. Now it's a matter of improving that skill level to compete better than we have."

(Editing by Robert Dineen)

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Ashes 2013: Australia coach Darren Lehmann promises to wield axe after under-achievers are thrashed

Jackson Bird, James Faulkner and David Warner, who will return from Australia A duty in time for the third Test, have also been told they could be needed as the selectors scramble for a winning formula.

"I say all the time the whole 18 have a chance to play," Lehmann said.

"I'm not ruling anything out. That is what happens when you have two losses, every option is open.

"As selectors Rod (Marsh), John (Inverarity) and I will have to speak about it and see where we come to.

"Ashton (Agar) is a bit sore and I don't think he will play in Sussex so Nathan Lyon will play obviously. Then we just have to look at the wicket (at Old Trafford) because history shows it spins a bit.

"If it's going to spin we will certainly have a look at two spinners. Wade will play in the tour match too."

England have already banked three centuries in the series, two to Ian Bell and a maiden Ashes hundred to Joe Root, but Lehmann conceded Australia's batsmen have proved far too flimsy.

"We have certainly got to bat better, we know that," Lehmann said.

"It's probably more of a mental thing. We need to make sure we're ready to go...have a good time down in Sussex, play some decent cricket and bat a lot longer than 90 overs.

"We had two guys get to 50 at Lord's but 50 isn't going to get us to where we need to go. Clarke and (Usman) Khawaja batted really well but they need to make hundreds when they get to that position, just like young Root did."

Australia's tour has been marred by a series of off-field issues, including the sacking of former coach Mickey Arthur just 16 bays before the Ashes and reports of a rift between Clarke and opener Shane Watson.

But Lehmann has told his players to stop looking for excuses.

"We actually need to get some results because that would stop all the talk and make people realise we are going the right way," he said.

"We can't worry about what anyone else says or writes. We accept the criticism, we deserve the criticism to be fair."

Meanwhile, England's only problem is the fitness of Kevin Pietersen, who was unable to take the field in Australia's second innings after suffering a left calf strain.

England batting coach Graham Gooch admits the selectors will look at potential replacements for Pietersen because they can't guarantee the South-African born star's availability.

"Whether he will be fit for Old Trafford...he'd be in doubt," Gooch said. "I'm sure there will be some cover supplied."

However, asked if Somerset's Nick Compton - dropped ahead of the Ashes to allow Root to open in his place alongside England captain Alastair Cook - was the most likely candidate, Gooch added: "I'm not a selector, so I couldn't give you an indication to whether he would be the next cab off the rank or not."

Edited by Thom Gibbs

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Lehmann demands more from Australia

Australia coach Darren Lehmann says his batsmen have to make immediate improvements in the Ashes series.

The visitors suffered a 347-run defeat by England at Lord's to go 2-0 behind in the series with three to play after being bowled out for 128 and 235.

"We've certainly got to bat better, 55 overs in the first innings is not acceptable so we've got to get better at batting full stop," Lehmann said.

"I felt sorry for the bowlers, they only got three and a half hours off."

The tourists have gone 10 Tests without a top three batsman making a century, the last time that occurred was a sequence against England between 1899 and 1902.

Australia's top six have made five fifties between them in the two Ashes Tests, with Phil Hughes's 81 at Trent Bridge their only score higher than 54. In contrast, England's top six have posted seven scores in excess of 54, including three centuries. "One thing you don't see in Test cricket any more is draws," Lehmann added.

"Years ago it would be 500 versus 500, now it's a case of getting the game moving forward, everyone is doing that, but you still have to have the ability to bat eight to 10 hours as a batsman and we certainly aren't doing that as a team, let alone a batsman.

"The bowling's fine we've just got to get our batting right, but we're all going in the same direction so that's the pleasing thing and at this time we've got to stick together as best we can."

Next for Australia is a three-day tour match against Sussex at Hove starting on Friday, before the third Ashes Test at Old Trafford on 1 August.

Asked about his preparations Lehmann said: "It's probably more of a mental thing, making sure they're ready to go, refresh as best we can, have a good time down at Sussex make sure we play some decent cricket and bat a lot longer than 90 overs if that's possible, that's probably the key for us."

Lehmann emphatically ruled out any additions to the squad from outside the original 18-man group, such as veteran batsman Simon Katich, now at Lancashire, and recently eligible leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed, who took four wickets in each innings for Australia A against a Zimbabwe XI in the opening match of their tour of southern Africa.

The Australia coach confirmed reserve wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who has scored two centuries and three fifties in his 12 Tests, will have a chance to impress in the warm-up match and could feature as a batsman only during the tour.

"The whole 18 has a chance to play, Wade will play in the tour match," he said.

"I'm not ruling anything out, that's what happens when you have two losses, you've got to keep every option open."

The 347-run loss at Lord's is Australia's third heaviest in terms of runs, after a 675-run reverse against England in 1928 and a 408-run defeat against West Indies in 1980.

Former Australia seamer Glenn McGrath agreed that the current batsmen were not performing to the required level.

"The top order need to start scoring some hundreds. They have spent enough time there," McGrath told BBC Sport.

McGrath took 563 wickets in 124 Tests during an era where Australia dominated world cricket and bowed out with a 5-0 victory over England in 2006-07.

Since then, England have won the last two Ashes series and are now on course for three in a row.

Australia have lost all six Tests since key batsmen Mike Hussey retired in January, with Michael Clarke's century in Chennai in March their only three-figure score in that time.

"The fact that Mike Hussey was in the team through the Australian summer probably overshadowed the issues we have and provided a safety net," added McGrath.

"That safety net is no longer there so the players now have to stand up.

"They need to put a bit more of a higher price on their wicket and spend time at the crease. If you spend time out there you will score runs."

Only one team in the history of Test cricket - Australia's 1936-37 Ashes side - have ever come from 2-0 down to win a series 3-2, but McGrath has not given up hope.

"I'm always optimistic," he added. "I think there's resilience there. The players we have here are good enough. They just have to get out there and do the business."

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