Darren Lehmann went a step too far in calling Stuart Broad a cheat, writes Malcolm Conn Darren Lehmann could still find himself in hot water from the ICC. AS a cricketer Darren Lehmann always played it his way, for better or worse. For years the selectors didn't like the way he played and didn't pick him. It was only later in his career Lehmann improved his fitness and tightened his technique, finally gaining a sustained run of Test matches in the afternoon of his cricketing life. Lehmann did not fundamentally change the way he approached the game, he just prepared and played smarter. He must now do the same as Australia's coach. Lehmann has been a breath of fresh air for a team that has had a terrible year on and off the field. The results may not show it but his shock appointment as coach for this Ashes series has given the players a boost. He has laid out clear parameters about what is expected and those who fail to meet his expectations are not indulged. As an example look at the sidelining of Ed Cowan, Usman Khawaja and Phil Hughes for the last Test, when Australia weakened its batting line-up by playing bowling all-rounder James Faulkner to make a point about underperforming batsmen. Shane Watson gets clocked by a nasty Stuart Broad bouncer. Now Lehmann must ensure he meets the expectations of Cricket Australia and the broader cricket community. By calling Stuart Broad a cheat on radio Lehmann did not uphold the standards required by someone occupying such an important position. Yes it was part of light-hearted banter on a blokey radio station, but there is a public line which simply cannot be crossed. Broad's behaviour has been annoying, inconsistent, even dubious and those unhappy with him have every right to be critical. One of the great joys of living in a functioning democracy is freedom of speech. Sports stars, coaches and administrators should be encouraged to speak more often and more frankly. Some of the interviews given by England players during the past two months have been as colourful as a concrete driveway, and they have been winning. Lehmann deserves credit for being available and engaging, for doing his part to promote the game he loves so dearly. Dour England coach Andy Flower could learn a thing or three from Lehmann about his wider responsibilities to the game beyond the command bunker. Lehmann's warm personality and wide popularity in Australia and England have helped add a new dimension to this series. But the choice of words is all important and calling an opponent a cheat in public, regardless of the light-hearted nature of the interview, is a step too far. Good bloke that he may be, it is difficult to see how Lehmann can avoid some sort of sanction from the International Cricket Council even if England and Australia claim they are doing nothing. In 2008 Matthew Hayden was reprimanded by CA after describing Harbhajan Singh as an "obnoxious little weed" during a radio interview. Hayden was charged with violating CA's code of conduct in relation to the "public denigration of other players" but then CA is terrified of upsetting India, cricket's oversensitive banker. A year later Andrew Symonds was fined $4000 under the same charge for calling New Zealand's Brendon McCullum a "piece of s___" in a rambling radio interview.