Five of the game's biggest questions that need urgent answers Leaving behind a massive void: Ricky Ponting. Fix the culture The poor culture in the Australian cricket team was addressed by the Argus review two years ago but, if anything, seems to have regressed rather than improved. The retirements of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey left a huge hole, particularly at a time when players were picked not just purely on runs and wickets but their contribution to improving team culture. Now, it seems, the men picked by John Inverarity's panel cannot score runs, take wickets or pull stumps at an appropriate hour. What will Darren Lehmann bring? The side might be dogged by poor discipline and behaviour but don't expect the new man to be introducing drinking bans while on duty. As a player Lehmann loved a beer and a smoke but it has not stopped him from becoming a very successful coach. Since taking over the Queensland Bulls in 2011, the affable and popular Lehmann has won all three domestic titles despite not having the most talented playing list. A key to his success has been his ability to draw a line between fun and business, something he will need to do again in the coming months. Poor batting stocks All the navel gazing in the world cannot conceal the parlous state of Australia's batting stocks. There was a time when batsmen needed to bang the Australian team's door down with multiple 1000-run seasons in the Shield. Now it's a milestone rarely reached. Those on the fringes, such as Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Alex Doolan, have shown promise but have steady rather than spectacular numbers at first-class level. The lack of young talent coming through was exemplified by the shock selection of rising 36-year-old Chris Rogers for the Ashes. The rotation policy Apart from on-field failure, Cricket Australia has also been stained by a controversial selection policy, which meant key players are regularly rested from major fixtures. Lehmann is not a fan of the policy but joins an administration that steadfastly believes in it. The former Test batsman has a somewhat old-school belief that the best players should be picked at all times but will need to be very persuasive to twist the arms of selection chairman Inverarity and cricket boss Pat Howard. Can Australia win the Ashes? If this is not the worst Australian squad ever to set foot in England then it certainly is the most disorganised. It would take an epic form reversal if Michael Clarke were to return to Australia with the replica urn. The Australian team has been rocked by sackings, backroom upheaval and poor discipline. They have not won a game in nearly five months and will enter the series without the man who planned their campaign, their captain nursing a dodgy back and a shellshocked team whose last tour abroad ended in embarrassment. Only the most patriotic and optimistic could expect anything better in the next two months.