“They played too aggressively in Australia”: Darren Lehmann backs England to dominate in Tests
Published - 30 Mar 2026, 06:54 PM | Updated - 30 Mar 2026, 07:01 PM
Former Australia cricketer and Northamptonshire head coach Darren Lehmann believes England are well-placed to respond strongly in the upcoming home Test season against New Zealand starting from June 2026. They will be playing a total of 3-matches in their home.
Despite performing badly in the last Ashes series, Lehmann backs England as the favourite to win. In Ashes, they faced a humiliating defeat by losing 4 games out of 5, which became a big topic of discussion for the England and Wales Cricket Board on players' performance, form, and strategy.
Lehmann believes, “they will play exciting cricket”
Going further, the former Australian cricketer said that England is going to dominate in the upcoming home test series against the Kiwis.
“They'll play exciting cricket. They'll score quickly. The wickets will be flat. They'll oscillate between the two styles,” Lehmann said, speaking to BBC Look East.
Going further, the former Australian cricketer said that England is going to dominate in the upcoming home test series against the Kiwis.
“They'll play exciting cricket. They'll score quickly. The wickets will be flat. They'll oscillate between the two styles,” Lehmann said, speaking to BBC Look East.
“They played too aggressive in Australia. The problem is when the wicket does anything. "They'll rethink how they want to play in different stages, making sure they're prepared as best they can,” he added.
Darren Lehmann asks, “Is the England team back to their old strategy?”
England has been known for its aggressive style of playing, often referred to as Bazball in international cricket. They adopted this style to dominate against bowlers and keep scoring runs on the side. This aggresive style of play has even won several big games in international cricket.
However, with series against New Zealand and Pakistan on the horizon, crucial to their ICC World Test Championship campaign, Lehmann expects England to return to their attacking best.
Darren Lehmann: Was not playing red-ball cricket the reason behind the poor performance in the Ashes?
In the last Ashes, England faced a humiliating defeat from Australia, where they won just 1-match from 5 after losing 3 back-to-back consecutive games in the series. However, Darren Lehmann believes that not playing enough test cricket before the start of the series was the main reason behind England’s performance.
“If they had played those first two Shield games before the first two Tests, then played the two Tests on the bounce, they actually needed a week off,” he commented.
“It's more about the preparation for the Ashes where they didn't play any county cricket in the back end of the summer and then they played a one-day series before the Ashes where they could have played an extra first-class game and that's probably where it's gone wrong.”
“If they had played those first two Shield games before the first two Tests, then played the two Tests on the bounce, they actually needed a week off,” he commented.
“It's more about the preparation for the Ashes where they didn't play any county cricket in the back end of the summer and then they played a one-day series before the Ashes where they could have played an extra first-class game and that's probably where it's gone wrong.”
Darren Lehmann Calls for Greater Discipline and Planning
Before the start of the series, Lehmann calls for greater discipline and planning for the English cricket team while looking at major future series aligned as per the ICC World Test Championship.
Darren Lehmann stressed that greater clarity and discipline in planning would be essential moving forward. He emphasized that in a high-stakes environment like the WTC, where every point can determine a finalist, there is no room for tactical ambiguity. For England to maintain their competitive edge, they must refine their approach to match specific conditions and opponents rather than relying solely on intent.
With a busy schedule featuring New Zealand and Pakistan, the margin for error is slim. Darren Lehmann believes that a more diligent preparation phase focusing on session-by-session execution and a clearer understanding of individual roles will be the deciding factor.
“They just need to be a bit more diligent in their preparation and what they're trying to do and how they want to play,” Lehmann expressed.
England begin the Test summer against New Zealand from 4 June followed by a series with Pakistan in August and September.
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