Mickey Arthur hires legal team to seek compensation
On his return to Australia, Arthur has hired a team of lawyers to explore concerns about the manner of his exit. A report in the Australian media stated that Arthur received no notice of termination or any suggestion that he was in breach of contract.
Former Australia coach Mickey Arthur has reportedly hired a law firm in order to seek compensation after he was sacked by Cricket Australia (CA) last month, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo. His original contract was till the 2015 World Cup but Arthur was replaced by Darren Lehmann after being dismissed in June, prior to the ongoing Ashes.
On his return to Australia, Arthur has hired a team of lawyers to explore concerns about the manner of his exit. A report in the Australian media stated that Arthur received no notice of termination or any suggestion that he was in breach of contract.
Arthur was sacked on June 24 over what CA called failures of discipline, consistency of behaviour and accountability. He is believed to have been given three months' pay and is now pursuing a more significant amount.
At the time of his sacking, Arthur had accepted responsibility for events that occurred during his 'regime', refusing to publicly criticise anyone.
"The reality is when you take a job on as head coach you are totally responsible for the outcomes. The players are a young group learning the way. I'm very structured in the way I go about things. I'm a man of principle, I try and get the team going in one direction because I firmly believe a team with culture is a successful team," he said.
"I don't feel let down by the players at all. At the end of the day you live and die by the sword and I gave this job 100% of my time over the last couple of years. The disappointing thing is I thought we were nearly there to cracking it, I really do. I take responsibility for it."
Australia won 10 of their 19 Tests during Arthur's time in charge but he had some tough times in 2013. The 4-0 defeat in India was overshadowed by the so-called 'homeworkgate'.
The Champions Trophy, in which Australia did not win a single game, was dominated by events off the field, when David Warner punched England batsman Joe Root in a pub. Warner was suspended until the first Ashes Test but the incident raised questions about player discipline in the Australian team.
A few days post Arthur's sacking, the CA chief executive James Sutherland was quick to admit that Arthur was a "scapegoat" for the team's lack of performance. "To some extent, people will no doubt say Mickey Arthur is a scapegoat in this and, to some extent, he is," Sutherland had said. "But realistically, as head coach you need to take responsibility for the performance of the team."