10 August,2015 10:59 AM IST | | IANS
Australian cricket skipper Michael Clarke has rubbished Australian reports of upheaval in the team before Australia's embarrassing fourth Test loss to England
Michael Clarke
Sydney: Australian cricket skipper Michael Clarke has rubbished Australian reports of upheaval in the team before Australia's embarrassing fourth Test loss to England.
A News Corp report on Monday said the tour had been affected by off-field dramas with a long-running feud between the wives of two senior players; Clarke's refusal to travel on the team bus or socialise with teammates and the sacking of popular vice-captain Brad Haddin after he took time off for family reasons.
Michael Clarke. Pic/ AFP
Controversial selection choices for the team were also reported to be reasons for disunity, Xinhua news agency reported.
Clarke resigned on Saturday although he will play in the final fifth and final Test match of the series after last week, saying he had no intention of doing so.
Clarke spoke to a Sydney radio station from England on Monday after News Corp reported he had lost the faith of his team.
"There is no disharmony in this group whatsoever," Clarke said on the Triple M radio network.
"The players are as tight as any team I've been a part of.
The report which incensed Clarke claimed there was a year-long disintegration in the off-field relationship between him and the rest of the team as he often chose to travel by private car instead of the team bus and rarely attended team get-togethers.
It also claimed Clarke's teammates were stunned when he joined them for a drink in the hotel bar on the day he made the decision to stand down while it was also known that the wives of two senior players did not get along which caused friction between their husbands.
