Warne slams Arthur for 'over-dramatising' alleged Clarke-Watson feud

Australian spin-legend Shane Warne has slammed sacked coach Mickey Arthur, saying that Arthur had over-dramatised and blown out of proportion the alleged feud between captain Michael Clarke and Shane Watson.

Arthur had claimed that Clarke told him that Watson was a 'cancer' on the team, in leaked confidential court documents related to his compensation claim against Cricket Australia (CA), Stuff.co.nz reports.

However, Warne said that he believes that Arthur had exaggerated a rift, if any, between Clarke and Watson, although he added that heated debates over where Watson should line up in the batting order has been the main reason for, at times, a frosty relationship between the Australian captain and his former deputy.

A friend, mentor and former teammate of both Clarke and Watson, Warne further said that there is nothing dysfunctional about their working relationship, adding that their debates over Watson's place in the batting order cannot be translated into a hate relationship between them.

Stating that Arthur had not made a factual statement, Warne further said that people may have read too much into the issue because of the batting situation and the way the team is going, adding that he and former captain Steve Waugh had many run-ins throughout their careers.

According to Warne, their differences never impacted on the cricket field, and that would be the same for Clarke and Watson, adding that both he and Waugh always had respect for each other despite having differing personalities.

Stating that Waugh was a defensive, negative kind of a person and a match saver, Warne also said that the former captain approached a game slowly and steadily as compared to himself, who was a bit more aggressive, had a bit more flair about my game and was more of a risk taker.

Warne also said that the disagreements between Clarke and Watson in the dressing room is healthy and kept the team from being robotic, although he said that it is important for players to respect each other.