'It's about moving forward' – Lehmann named Brisbane Heat coach
Lehmann was on Thursday, 7 March, named as the replacement for Daniel Vettori, who chose not to renew his contract at the club after being in the job for four years.
It will be the Australian's second stint with the club, having guided them to their only title back in 2012-13. He has been signed on a two-year contract and Heat will look to him to put their campaign back on track, having failed to make it to the knockout stage this year.
🎙️ @darren_lehmann spoke to the media after his announcement as Head Coach!#BringTheHeat #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/Ov9k7Sza5w
— Brisbane Heat (@HeatBBL) March 7, 2019
Lehmann, who is a World Cup winner with Australia, was excited about working with a "young squad" and "getting them playing the right way".
"It was a wonderful experience at the time to be involved with building the Brisbane Heat at the start of the BBL and we had plenty of fun," Lehmann said in a statement.
"I enjoyed watching the BBL and the Heat during [this] season and, as a coach, I am pretty excited to be working with the Heat players, who I know are as talented and determined as anyone going around."
It’s great to be back @HeatBBL as coach. Thanks for the opportunity to move forward with a good young group of players and all the support we always get from the fans around Australia. 👍. Looking forward to seeing great crowds and fan support next year. #bringtheheat #BBL09 https://t.co/xbWvlaBP2h
— Darren Lehmann (@darren_lehmann) March 7, 2019
An emotional Lehmann had stepped down as Australia coach after the ball-tampering scandal at Newlands, Cape Town on the South Africa tour in 2018, which led to bans for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
Since then, he has been involved in pathway cricket and in the media, and admitted it had taken him time to rediscover his love for the game and want to get back to coaching.
"You learn a lot in dark times," he told reporters. "For me it's about enjoying the game. It's a great game we play, we're just custodians. For me it's about getting the next generation through... It's about moving forward and loving the game."