Aussie bosses issue public apology

Lehmann, Howard share the blame for poor Ashes series

Two of Australian cricket's most senior figures, head coach Darren Lehmann and high performance manager Pat Howard, on Wednesday accepted blame and publicly apologized for the horror Ashes Test series in England.

Lehmann told Cricket Australia's website that his squad's performances had been "poor" and steps were being taken to identify the shortcomings before the start of the fifth, dead rubber Test match which begins on Aug 20.