Oz still has 'long way to go' before having 'perfect' team culture, says coach Arthur

Australian coach Mickey Arthur has admitted that there is a long way to go before the players have the proper dressing room dynamics to achieve a perfect team culture.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia is about to find out whether an Ashes upset can be achieved with a team culture that is far from perfect, adding that it appears unlikely that the problem will be solved before the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, with a mere 25 days left.

Admitting that there is still a long way to go, however, Arthur said that they will continue chipping away and working at improving the standards, the culture and everything that goes on in the team, adding that the team has great potential if they can get those things right.

Arthur further said that any great team has a culture of players understanding exactly what is required of them, and also has a clear understanding of the standards required for playing at the international level, adding that the wounds between captain Michael Clarke and his former deputy Shane Watson are healing rather than deepening.

However, Arthur said that he was 'extremely disappointed' that the 'line in the sand' he declared in India over the homework issue was so quickly washed away opener David Warner's alcohol-fueled scuffle in Birmingham, adding that Warner's latest indiscretion has shown that one or two tough statements on discipline does not necessarily solve a culture problem.

Stating that he is in the middle of the toughest period of his career, the former South African coach admitted that it has been a challenging three months for him since Australia's Test fiasco in India, although he added that they are trying to instill a culture and setting necessary standards for the team in stone.

Although Arthur admitted that it has been very tough for him to get an alignment and a bind on those standards, he, however, said that the team management has been getting good responses from players in terms of their compliance.

Despite evidence to the contrary, Arthur said everything in the team is 'under control' with the players moving on from the Warner drama in a positive direction, although he admitted that things should have been handled differently last week when six players went out for a big night after a loss to England.

But in the aftermath, Arthur maintained Warner's punishment was handed down swiftly and professionally.