Australia captain Michael Clarke insisted his focus was on the future after calling upon players from before the controversial Mickey Arthur era to help the present side thrive. Last week saw Australia lose a thrilling first Test at Trent Bridge to Ashes-holders England by just 14 runs. That left Australia, bidding to avoid a third straight series loss to their arch-rivals, 1-0 down in the five-match campaign and with much to do if they were to regain the urn.
But Arthur’s controversial exit was thrust into the public arena once more when the South African, Australia’s first overseas coach, confirmed he was suing Cricket Australia for racial discrimination. According to leaked legal documents seen by Australian broadcaster Channel Seven, Arthur also confirmed a major feud in the team between Clarke and former vice-captain Shane Watson.
Clarke allegedly described the role of Watson and his faction as a ‘cancer’ with Arthur, who was sacked just 16 days before the start of the Ashes and replaced by former Test batsman Darren Lehmann, calling himself the ‘meat in the sandwich’ between the conflicting camps. ‘I’ve spoken a lot in the past about my relationship with Shane and so has Shane, so I’m not going to go into that. I’m not going to go backwards, it’s about looking forward.
‘It’s important for me to keep my eyes on the field. We as a team know we have a really important job to do in this Test match and for the rest of this series. So none of this will be a distraction to me personally and it certainly won’t be to the team,’ Clarke said on Wednesday.
However, Clarke believes there are lessons for his side from an older if still vivid period of Australian cricket history that spanned from the mid 1990s to the early 2000s when the men in baggy green caps were undoubtedly the best team in world cricket. Former captain Steve Waugh as well as bowling greats Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne are all being brought in to pep up the current side.
‘We had Glenn McGrath around the group over the last couple of days, who spoke of his experiences...Steve Waugh was around the changing room yesterday as well and I think Shane Warne’s going to come in. Their pep talks have helped the team.’