Arthur admits 'divide in trust' between Watson, team leadership

Australian coach Mickey Arthur has admitted that there is a divide in trust between former vice captain Shane Watson and the leadership of the team heading into the Ashes.

Former vice-captain Watson, who was stood down from the third Test in March's tour of India, along with three other players, for not submitting homework, was alleged to have taken umbrage at the way Arthur was handling opener David Warner's disciplinary process, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Although Arthur dismissed the allegations, he admitted that Watson still had not regained complete trust in the way the team was being run after the India Tests, adding that they are working on decreasing the divide between Watson, captain Michael Clarke and himself.

Stating that Watson had no 'massive view' on what Warner's punishment should be for punching England rival Joe Root at a Birmingham bar last weekend, Arthur further said that the tensions between Watson, Clarke and himself were 'fixable', adding that Watson has acted very professional in the way he has come back into the environment and approached the issues.

Playing down speculations about tensions existing within the team, Arthur said that the players are now focusing on for Monday's pivotal group ICC Champions Trophy match against Sri Lanka at The Oval, and have put behind all the disrupting incidents behind.

Meanwhile, Clarke agreed with Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland that the five players present with Warner - Clint Mckay, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh, Phillip Hughes and Glenn Maxwell - also deserved to feel guilty of letting down the team.

According to the skipper, to be out at a late hour, carrying on like they were celebrating after a loss, especially with the opposition, does not look good for the team.