Sacked Arthur blames CA for legal suit

Mickey Arthur has blamed Cricket Australia (CA) for forcing him to take legal action over his “unfair” sacking as coach of the national team and said the incident had caused major damage to his career and reputation.

South African Arthur, the first non-Australian to coach the team, had a contract until 2015 but was sacked and replaced by Darren Lehmann in June, just weeks before the start of the Ashes series against England.

Arthur subsequently filed a case with the Fair Work Commission (FWC) in Australia, demanding $3.6 million in compensation or reinstatement as coach.

On his arrival in Perth on Sunday, the 45-year-old said he had hoped for a private resolution but failed to establish contact with senior CA officials despite multiple attempts.

“After my dismissal I received nothing in writing from Cricket Australia, no contact and no payment at all, not even of my basic leave pay until I was forced to bring in lawyers to assist in the process,” Arthur said in a statement.

“I was really trying for a private resolution that would not have any collateral damage to the reputation of any of us, the Australian team, Australian cricket, or me.

“I thought, perhaps naively, that, under all the circumstances of my dismissal, that Cricket Australia would be willing to have sensible and good faith talks in private.”
The former South Africa coach took over Australia in 2011 following a review of their the humiliating 3-1 Ashes defeat, the first home series loss to England in nearly quarter of a century.

Australia have lately endured a series of poor results, losing a Test series in India 4-0 this year, and faced a number of disciplinary issues within the squad.
The failure to make the knock-out stages of the Champions Trophy, of which Australia were the defending champions, and David Warner’s fracas with England’s Joe Root compounded Arthur’s problems.

Warner was stood down until the first Ashes Test after hitting Root in a bar after a Champions Trophy defeat.

“I understand 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,” Arthur said.

“I was truly shocked and devastated by my dismissal,” he added.