Mumbai: Australia coach Darren Lehmann has made an explosive revelation days before their first Test against South Africa.
Lehmann has said it was mistake to pick Brad Haddin and Shane Watson for 2015 Ashes tour to England.
Australia lost the last year’s Ashes series 3-2, and have not won a series in England since 2001.
According to cricket.com.au, in a newly released book, Coach, Lehmann writes he had a discussion with Haddin and Watson during the Caribbean tour, before going to England.
Lehmann asked: "Are you going to get some runs or are you going to retire?"
"They both said they would get some runs, but I knew in my heart of hearts they had run their race at Test level," writes Lehmann.
"I admit I did allow myself to be blinded a little through sentiment and a belief they could turn around their declining form.
"Given my time again my preference as just one member of the NSP (national selection panel) would have been to look beyond Watson and Haddin for that Ashes series, but circumstances dictated otherwise.
"Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
"In the case of Brad Haddin what it boiled down to was, first and foremost, a selection issue, as we should never have taken him to the West Indies and the United Kingdom in the first place, something I think he, too, now acknowledges.
"I thought he could continue to perform to the required level in the Caribbean and during the Ashes series but, with my experience, I should have known better."
Both players have not played for Australia since playing the first Test in Cardiff.
Watson was dropped for the second Test at Lord’s, while Haddin withdrew from the second Test after his daughter fell ill.
