Former Test captain Michael Clarke has given his version of some of the most controversial episodes of his career, including his dressing-room run-in with Simon Katich and relationship with Shane Watson, saying the ex-Australian vice-captain was part of a group that was "like a tumour" on the team three years ago.
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Michael Clarke's 'like a tumour' comments
Appearing on 60 Minutes, former cricketer Michael Clarke gave his version of disputes with Shane Watson and Simon Katich. Vision: 60 Minutes, Channel Nine
In a television interview with Channel 9's 60 Minutes program aired on Sunday night the retired Clarke for the first time addressed his part in his notorious 2009 confrontation at the SCG with Katich, who grabbed the then vice-captain's throat during a disagreement over when the team song should be sung after Australia's Test win over South Africa.
He also denied labelling Watson a "cancer" on the team, a claim that was made by Mickey Arthur in documents connected to the former coach's legal action against Cricket Australia following the South African's sacking three years ago after a 4-0 defeat in India and on the eve of an Ashes series in England.
"No, I didn't say that," Clarke said in the interview to coincide with the release of his autobiography.
"I said that there is a number of players, or a group in this team at the moment that are like a tumour, and if we don't fix it, it's going to turn into a cancer."
Asked if Watson was one of those players, Clarke replied: "Shane was one of those players, yes."
Watson had been one of four players stood down by Arthur and Clarke for the third Test against India in Mohali in 2013 in the so-called "homework" affair. Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja and James Pattinson were also suspended for that match but Watson walked out on the tour immediately, returning home for the birth of his son, although he returned to replace an injured Clarke as captain for the fourth Test in Delhi.
On the subject of the Katich altercation the former opener said last summer that the disagreement was less about when the team song should be sung so Clarke could leave the dressing room – and "more about what Michael said to me that night".
In the interview Clarke didn't detail what he exactly said but conceded Katich was not the only teammate he angered that night.
"I think a lot of us were getting wound up, so I think I had every reason to be p-----Â off. But I don't think my language was appropriate to Kato," Clarke said.
"It turned out – I found out four days later that Matthew Hayden was going to retire after that Test match. So I think Haydos was p----- off as well that that happened in his last Test."
The 35-year-old also delved into his time as deputy to former captain Ricky Ponting, who had revealed in his own autobiography three years ago that he had had doubts about Clarke's "sense of team" when giving his own account of the blow-up with Katich.
Clarke maintains he was not campaigning for Ponting's job when he was his deputy but accepted that "I think he feels that I let him down", saying criticism that he was selfish was fair.
"I think if I performed well, I was happy. If I performed bad, I was shattered," he said.
"I don't think I was a good vice-captain at all. As soon as I got given the vice-captaincy, I think the perception was I was automatically the next captain, and that built. I never dreamt of captaining Australia. I couldn't care less if I captained Australia or not."
Asked whether he believed players in his own team liked him him during his five years as captain, Clarke said: "I don't think that's … I don't think I can answer that.
"I know they respected me as their captain. I know they believed in the calls I made and they knew that I would put that team in front of any personal relationship."
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