Lehmann charged for ING Cup final outburst

Darren Lehmann's frustration at losing the ING Cup final by a wicket has been added to with him being charged by Cricket Australia for his post-match comments on Sunday. Lehmann was annoyed at the decision to start the game at 9.30am and believed losing the toss was crucial as South Australia were dismissed for 154.

"I think it was pretty plain obvious how important the toss was," he told The Advertiser on Sunday. "Cricket Australia need to work out if they want a decent final. It ended up being a great final only because we bowled well. The [pitch] was pretty flat when they batted."

The match, which was won by New South Wales, ended ING's 14-year association with the competition and Lehmann delivered a parting shot to the sponsor. "A 9.30am start, I don't know how many times you have to say it," he said. "Thank God we might be changing sponsors. That might allow us to play at different times. I don't know whether I can say that, but I have."

Lehman was cited under two Cricket Australia rules for "unbecoming behaviour" and "detrimental public comment". His hearing will be in Adelaide next week after South Australia return from Perth, where they are attempting to remain in Pura Cup contention against Western Australia from Friday.

South Australia's performance in the one-day competition, which was their best result for ten years, has led to the SACA extending the coaching contract of Wayne Phillips for another two years. "We have made some genuine progress in both one-day and four-day competitions," Phillips said, "and the next two years promise to be challenging and exciting."