He admitted third Test at Edgbaston will be crucial with series level at 1-1

The Australian coach says the best team has won the first two Test matches, regardless of how the pitch has played

He has been at the forefront of transforming Australia since the low of ‘homeworkgate’ in 2013 that saw Mickey Arthur lose his job. Now coach Darren Lehmann is plotting an Australian Ashes win in England for the first time since 2001. Ahead of the third Test he met Sportsmail’s Nasser Hussain to discuss the current series and the methods that have made him such a success.

Nasser Hussain: Well, it’s been quite a start to this year’s Ashes! Has the extreme way it has gone from one side to the other so far surprised you? You seemed pretty relaxed after that defeat in Cardiff, as if you knew you’d be fine.

Darren Lehmann spoke exclusively to Nasser Hussain ahead of the third Ashes Test on Wednesday

Lehmann told Sportsmail's Hussain that Mitchell Johnson is back to his best and can handle English conditions

Darren Lehmann: It’s been interesting, that’s for sure. Both teams have had a perfect game and the complete opposite one. After Cardiff we had to get back on the horse and play the way we wanted to and we did that at Lord’s.

We copped a lot of criticism after Cardiff so we had to sit back and say, ‘Are we doing the right things as a group?’ I thought we were but we hadn’t got the basics right in the first Test. Since the start of January we’ve lost two games, so we’re not playing that badly. We just had a hiccup at the start of this series in the way we wanted to go about things.

Hussain: Is your record this year the reason why you retained your confidence after Cardiff? Straight after that match you said, ‘Don’t worry, it’s just a blip’.

Lehmann: I’m very confident we can always take 20 wickets. We’ve done that consistently over the last couple of years and we’ve got enough bowling power and speed to take 20 wickets in any conditions. It’s of prime importance when you’re setting up a side and I know our captain is very strong on making sure we have enough bowling in our set-up.

Lehmann talks to Hussain during Australia's warm-up game against Derbyshire

The Australian coach signs autographs for spectators at the Tour match in Derby

Lehmann (right) took over as Australia coach just before the 2013 Ashes from Mickey Arthur

Hussain: Pitches have been a hot topic. After Cardiff it was, ‘It’s too slow for Mitchell Johnson’ and after Lord’s it was, ‘It didn’t move enough for Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad’. Should England be preparing the best pitches for their side and if they did would that worry you?

Lehmann: It wouldn’t. We just turn up and get what we get. Pitches are an interesting one around the world, not just England. In Australia they tend to be different wherever you go but here, depending on the weather, they tend to be similar. You just have to adapt and play well. The best side won each of the first two Tests regardless of the pitch.

Hussain: How concerned were you about England’s progress before the series? After the shambles of the World Cup things started improving quite rapidly.Then they were very good at Cardiff with an attacking brand of cricket.

Lehmann played 27 Tests and 117 one-day internationals for Australia between 1996 and 2005

England stunned Australia to win the first Ashes Test in Cardiff by 169 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the series

Lehmann: I liked that. I think it’s a good way to play. We’ve been doing it pretty much for the last couple of years and now others like England and New Zealand are following suit and starting to play an aggressive brand which is great for the spectators. You want to win every game but you also want to put on a good series and remember you’re in the entertainment business. For us it’s about playing our way and if we do that we back ourselves to win.

Hussain: What did you make of England appointing Trevor Bayliss as coach?

Lehmann: I think it’s a good choice. We used him as coach of our Twenty20 team last summer so obviously he knows us inside out. He’ll take his time to find his feet, decide what he wants and see how he wants to go about it but you can already see the aggressive way he’ll want to play which England started under Paul Farbrace.

Hussain: Can a coach bring secrets with him? Say you were suddenly coaching England. Could you tell them how to get the Australian batsmen out or is it simply that everyone knows each other so well these days?

Lehmann: Trevor would know the little things that go on in our camp and he would have some inside knowledge as a coach that would lead to certain plans. We’ve seen a few already in this series. That’s the advantage he will have as a former coach of New South Wales where a lot of our players come from.

Australia responded with a fabulous performance to smash England by 405 runs at Lord's

England's new coach Trevor Bayliss (right) with his assistant Paul Farbrace (left)

Hussain: I used to play against you and never saw you ending up as a bloody good, disciplined coach of Australia.

Lehmann: I like you saying that I’m a disciplined coach. I’m not sure I want that out there! I like to keep that a secret! Well, I love the job. I fell in love with coaching when I was at the IPL with Deccan Chargers but I didn’t think I’d end up in this role. Things went on with Australia and I got the opportunity to do it. The advantage I had is we weren’t playing how we like to play and I could come in with a fresh approach. To the captain and players’ credit they bought into it and it runs itself now. That’s really pleasing.

Hussain: Who was the best coach when you played?

Lehmann: Ricky Ponting! And he wasn’t the coach, he was a senior player. By the time you get to international level a lot of work has already been done and as a coach you’re only tinkering. You probably do more in the way of preparation and analysis of how you want to play against a particular opponent on a particular ground. It’s working on strategies with the captain.

Hussain: Do you get angry? The Darren Lehmann I used to know was happy and jovial and you seem to enjoy your job now. Did you read the riot act after Cardiff?

Lehmann described former Australia captain Ricky Ponting as the best coach - even though he wasn't a coach

Lehmann: No, it was more a talk about why we lost and what we could do to get better. Actually my angry moments sometimes come after a win. I kick cans around and throw things, especially if someone has done something against team rules. That’s when we have a problem.

Hussain: You would have done things against team rules when you were a player.

Lehmann: Very much so. But these blokes — and I’m sure England are the same — have so much more discipline than we did. The game has changed so much and they just can’t do what we used to. I’d have a couple of pies and six pints every night then go and play in the morning. They’re fitter, stronger and faster and play more shots. What we have to do is teach them to play the game better. That’s our role as coaches.

Hussain: Are you old-school in terms of the captain-coach relationship? Is Michael Clarke the main man with you helping him or are you a partnership?

Lehmann: We’re a partnership to an extent. The skipper will leave all the preparation to me and then once they toss the coin away he goes and that’s how it should be. He doesn’t need too many views, he will have the way he wants to lead the side and I think he’s a fantastic captain. He’s really aggressive and gets the game moving forward, so from my point of view it’s about the coaching staff getting all the guys ready for the captain to lead them on the field. We chat all the time to throw ideas up.

Lehmann and captain Michael Clarke (left) on the Lord's pitch after Australia's huge victory in the second Test

Hussain: Tell us about Mitchell Johnson. He replaced Ricky Ponting as England’s pantomime villain but we have seen how devastating he can be with the ball. What’s he like to coach? How big an asset is he? What’s he like as a bloke?

Lehmann: He’s a fantastic guy. He came back into the set-up a couple of years ago when he missed the 2013 Ashes but played beautifully in the one-day series that followed. He’s got his mojo back and he’s exciting. He’s also really good with the young players and leads from the front in everything he does. He’s an unbelievable athlete and a really important player. He copes with the pressure that brings really well now, certainly better than he has in the past, and that might be because he’s really settled off the field. That’s important to him and us.

Hussain: You’ve got some characters in your side. People like Johnson and David Warner. Do you just let them go or occasionally rein them in?

Lehmann: We’re pretty good like that. They know where the boundaries are set. You have to have that x-factor in your team whether it’s a Test match, T20 or ODI. You take David Warner getting out at mid-off to Moeen Ali because you accept the bad with the good. That’s part and parcel of having guys like that in your side.

Johnson took six wickets at Lord's in Australia's win in the second Test and made England's batsmen fearful

Johnson tormented England during the last Ashes series in Australia but has never shown his best in England

Hussain: At times England haven’t handled their maverick players as well as they might have done. We are all aware of what happened with Kevin Pietersen. Do you enjoy having those mavericks?

Lehmann: Yes, very much so. They know where they stand. If they go outside team rules they’ll get dealt with the same as any other player. That’s the way we’ve been since day one.

Hussain: Before the Ashes we saw the spirit the game was played in between England and New Zealand. Was that a template for the game moving forward? You had a little joke ahead of the series with a sign saying this will be the non-sledging Ashes...

Lehmann: We’re certainly going to play our way and we’ve said that many times. What I will say is that we will get together with England at the end of the series. We had a great night at The Oval dressing room at the end of the last series here even though we’d lost and it was the same in Sydney when we won.

Hussain: It will be crunch time at Edgbaston. The Ashes at 1-1 with three to play. What sort of game do you expect?

Lehmann: Whoever wins this one will have a big advantage. But we have to treat it as another game of cricket and have our usual preparation. We’re not trying to cure cancer, we’re playing a game of cricket. So our job will be to entertain the people. That’s one of the improvements in the game because of Twenty20, the shots that are being played, and it’s exciting for Test cricket. I don’t expect any draws in this series unless the weather plays a part.

Hussain: Is Chris Rogers OK? Will he play at Edgbaston?

Lehmann: We’ll be guided by the medical staff. We’re getting the best advice and Chris will know whether he can play. (Rogers was back in the indoor nets at Edgbaston on Sunday, watched by the team doctor).

Chris Rogers was back in the nets at Edgbaston on Sunday as he bids to play in the third Ashes Test

Rogers rejoined the Australian team on Friday and then got back to work in the nets on Sunday

Hussain: Serious things have happened in your life (Lehmann was good friends with the late David Hookes and was Australia coach at the time of the Philip Hughes tragedy). Is that why you’re able to keep cricket in perspective?

Lehmann: The game is clearly important but we do keep relaxed as a coaching staff because the players are under enough pressure without us increasing it. Cricket is there to be enjoyed and the bigger the game the more enjoyable it should be.

Hussain: Finally, you haven’t won the Ashes in England since 2001...

Lehmann: Thanks for reminding me! We kept on being reminded about that when we got here and now I’m being reminded again...

Hussain: But you have a lot of senior players who haven’t won the Ashes in England. How big would it be if you could do it this year?