• 'I was shocked and devastated by my dismissal,' says Arthur
• David Warner's brother lashes out at Shane Watson
Australian cricket continues to be embarrassed by background noise, with the former coach Mickey Arthur launching a surgical strike against his former employers while the elder brother of the disgraced opener David Warner has done nothing to promote team harmony by ranting on Twitter against Shane Watson.
Steven Warner, a former New South Wales junior representative who is now a qualified plumber, deleted his Twitter account after it emerged that he had responded to Watson's first-innings dismissal on Friday – and specifically his decision to call for, and waste, a review, later attributed to his opening partner Chris Rogers – by tweeting: "Fucking selfish Watson sooner your out if the side you great pretender the better."
It is hard to believe that Watson and David Warner formed such an effective opening partnership for Australia, especially in limited overs cricket, before their relationship became an issue.
Arthur's legal claim against Cricket Australia for unfair dismissal had already highlighted that, as among many damaging leaks last week was apparent confirmation that Watson had been unhappy when it appeared that Warner would escape punishment for throwing a punch at Joe Root in the Birmingham Walkabout early in this disastrous tour.
But in insisting that he was not the source of the leaks, the South African inflicted further significant damage and even humiliation on Cricket Australia and their chief executive, James Sutherland, in a statement made to the media ahead of conciliation talks with the Fair Work Commission in Perth on Wednesday.
"I was truly shocked and devastated by my dismissal," said Arthur, who was sacked after Australia failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy semi-finals, although off-field incidents such as the Warner affair are thought to have been at least as important as on-field failure.
"I had received a positive appraisal on all my key performance indicators just prior to departing for the Champions Trophy. I am told that David Warner's conduct was the last straw for the board. I received no hearing at all over that issue and no one was doing more to improve discipline in this young Australian cricket team than I was. In spite what has been a deliberate campaign against me in the past days, I am still willing to resolve this dispute on a fair and just basis.
"It's very unfortunate that my private dispute with Cricket Australia was made public by others. Due to the sensitive matters involved, I have taken extensive steps in co-operation with the Fair Workers Commission to keep my case entirely confidential.
"Selective leaks by others have ruined my attempts to protect the Australian cricket team and everyone involved. As I've said, no one associated with me has played any part in releasing the confidential document."
Perhaps most damagingly for Cricket Australia and Sutherland, Arthur suggests that this public airing of dirty washing could easily have been avoided. "After my dismissal, I received nothing in writing from Cricket Australia – no contact and no payment at all, even on my basic leave pay, until I was forced to bring in lawyers to assist in the process," he said.
"I tried on a number of occasions to make direct contact with Cricket Australia at a very senior level for days but I didn't get a response. I was really trying for a private resolution that would have not have any collateral damage to the reputation of any of us – the Australian team, Australia Cricket or myself.
"I thought, perhaps naively, that under all the circumstances of my dismissal, Cricket Australia would be willing to have sensible and good-faith talks in private. Sadly this hasn't happened, and here we are today.
"I never wanted to launch legal action, but Cricket Australia simply left me no option. James Sutherland himself said that, to an extent, I had been made 'a scapegoat'. I find that a totally unfair basis to end my career. The damage to my reputation and career has been immense, which means the chances of me getting a senior job are that much less.
"I do hope that the conciliation talks at the Fair Work Commission on Wednesday will be productive and I will certainly be doing my part. To conclude, I just want to wish the Australian cricket team the best of luck and hope they can bounce back after a disappointing day yesterday and still bring the Ashes home. I truly have a lot of good relations there and I'd really like to keep it that way." Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 week ago.
• David Warner's brother lashes out at Shane Watson
Australian cricket continues to be embarrassed by background noise, with the former coach Mickey Arthur launching a surgical strike against his former employers while the elder brother of the disgraced opener David Warner has done nothing to promote team harmony by ranting on Twitter against Shane Watson.
Steven Warner, a former New South Wales junior representative who is now a qualified plumber, deleted his Twitter account after it emerged that he had responded to Watson's first-innings dismissal on Friday – and specifically his decision to call for, and waste, a review, later attributed to his opening partner Chris Rogers – by tweeting: "Fucking selfish Watson sooner your out if the side you great pretender the better."
It is hard to believe that Watson and David Warner formed such an effective opening partnership for Australia, especially in limited overs cricket, before their relationship became an issue.
Arthur's legal claim against Cricket Australia for unfair dismissal had already highlighted that, as among many damaging leaks last week was apparent confirmation that Watson had been unhappy when it appeared that Warner would escape punishment for throwing a punch at Joe Root in the Birmingham Walkabout early in this disastrous tour.
But in insisting that he was not the source of the leaks, the South African inflicted further significant damage and even humiliation on Cricket Australia and their chief executive, James Sutherland, in a statement made to the media ahead of conciliation talks with the Fair Work Commission in Perth on Wednesday.
"I was truly shocked and devastated by my dismissal," said Arthur, who was sacked after Australia failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy semi-finals, although off-field incidents such as the Warner affair are thought to have been at least as important as on-field failure.
"I had received a positive appraisal on all my key performance indicators just prior to departing for the Champions Trophy. I am told that David Warner's conduct was the last straw for the board. I received no hearing at all over that issue and no one was doing more to improve discipline in this young Australian cricket team than I was. In spite what has been a deliberate campaign against me in the past days, I am still willing to resolve this dispute on a fair and just basis.
"It's very unfortunate that my private dispute with Cricket Australia was made public by others. Due to the sensitive matters involved, I have taken extensive steps in co-operation with the Fair Workers Commission to keep my case entirely confidential.
"Selective leaks by others have ruined my attempts to protect the Australian cricket team and everyone involved. As I've said, no one associated with me has played any part in releasing the confidential document."
Perhaps most damagingly for Cricket Australia and Sutherland, Arthur suggests that this public airing of dirty washing could easily have been avoided. "After my dismissal, I received nothing in writing from Cricket Australia – no contact and no payment at all, even on my basic leave pay, until I was forced to bring in lawyers to assist in the process," he said.
"I tried on a number of occasions to make direct contact with Cricket Australia at a very senior level for days but I didn't get a response. I was really trying for a private resolution that would have not have any collateral damage to the reputation of any of us – the Australian team, Australia Cricket or myself.
"I thought, perhaps naively, that under all the circumstances of my dismissal, Cricket Australia would be willing to have sensible and good-faith talks in private. Sadly this hasn't happened, and here we are today.
"I never wanted to launch legal action, but Cricket Australia simply left me no option. James Sutherland himself said that, to an extent, I had been made 'a scapegoat'. I find that a totally unfair basis to end my career. The damage to my reputation and career has been immense, which means the chances of me getting a senior job are that much less.
"I do hope that the conciliation talks at the Fair Work Commission on Wednesday will be productive and I will certainly be doing my part. To conclude, I just want to wish the Australian cricket team the best of luck and hope they can bounce back after a disappointing day yesterday and still bring the Ashes home. I truly have a lot of good relations there and I'd really like to keep it that way." Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 week ago.