Lehmann lauds Big Bash League

Australia head coach Darren Lehmann says one of the proudest moments of his coaching career came with the Brisbane Heat in the KFC Big Bash League.

The Lehmann-led Brisbane Heat claimed only the second ever after defeating the Perth Scorchers in 2012.

"Winning that early in the second year was exciting for me and the players," Lehmann told bigbash.com.au.

Lehmann, whose accolades as a coach include the 2015 Cricket World Cup, an Ashes series win in 2013-14 and the Frank Worrell Trophy earlier this year still reflects on his first Australian coaching win fondly.

"That’s something I look back on with a lot of pride and enjoyment."

Despite being a fledgling coach at the time, the BBL|02 trophy was the second piece of silverware Lehmann had claimed, after leading the now-defunct Deccan Chargers to victory in the second edition of the Indian Premier League.

Lehmann was also on hand to watch the emergence of a then 23-year-old Joe Burns, who was integral to the Teal's victory in 2012.

Burns' dominance in the Big Bash and at state level under Lehmann’s tutelage eventually earned him a Baggy Green in last year's Boxing Day Test.

Lehmann believed the Big Bash - now touted as the world’s premier T20 tournament - can only get bigger in time.

"In 50 years the Big Bash is going to be one of the biggest competitions in the world, it’s just going to grow and grow and grow."

"The world game needs those tournaments, and now the challenge is to develop our Australian national T20 side to become better."

This year’s Big Bash will arguably be the tournament’s most important, with the ICC World T20 set to take place in March.

As well as fighting for BBL|05 honours, national selection will also be on the line for many of the Big Bash’s biggest names.