This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-37674994
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Michael Clarke: Australian Test players 'like a tumour' | Michael Clarke: Australian Test players 'like a tumour' |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Ex-Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has said some players have been "like a tumour" on the sport, but denied calling Shane Watson "a cancer". | Ex-Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has said some players have been "like a tumour" on the sport, but denied calling Shane Watson "a cancer". |
| Appearing on Australian Channel Nine's 60 Minutes programme, Clarke addressed many of the controversies that defined his 115-Test career. | Appearing on Australian Channel Nine's 60 Minutes programme, Clarke addressed many of the controversies that defined his 115-Test career. |
| He spoke about how he thought he was a bad vice-captain and that he had riled former team-mates. | |
| But he also attempted to clarify previous comments about his team-mates. | |
| Testing times for Australian cricket | Testing times for Australian cricket |
| According to leaked court documents, former coach Mickey Arthur claimed in 2013 that Clarke had called Watson "a cancer" on the national side. | According to leaked court documents, former coach Mickey Arthur claimed in 2013 that Clarke had called Watson "a cancer" on the national side. |
| But Clarke told the programme: "No, I didn't say that. | |
| "I said that there is a number of players, 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." | "I said that there is a number of players, 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 that applied to Watson, Clarke replied: "Shane was one of those players, yes." | Asked if that applied to Watson, Clarke replied: "Shane was one of those players, yes." |
| Clarke also shed light on an infamous dressing-room blow-up at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2009 after the Test win over South Africa. | |
| Team-mate Simon Katich reportedly grabbed then vice-captain Clarke by the shirt over a disagreement about when the team song would be sung. | |
| He said he had "every reason" to be angry, but "I don't think my language was appropriate". | He said he had "every reason" to be angry, but "I don't think my language was appropriate". |
| Clarke also revealed that cricket has never been the same for him after the death of his friend and team-mate Phillip Hughes. | Clarke also revealed that cricket has never been the same for him after the death of his friend and team-mate Phillip Hughes. |
| Hughes was hit in the neck by a ball in November 2014 and died a few days later. | Hughes was hit in the neck by a ball in November 2014 and died a few days later. |
| "I guess I probably tried to tell myself that there was a chance he'd be OK," Clarke said. | "I guess I probably tried to tell myself that there was a chance he'd be OK," Clarke said. |
| "But I think I knew there wasn't. I spent the whole night talking to him. That breaks my heart the most. | "But I think I knew there wasn't. I spent the whole night talking to him. That breaks my heart the most. |
| "It was always hard to play cricket after that. I felt fear for the first time in my life when I played cricket." | "It was always hard to play cricket after that. I felt fear for the first time in my life when I played cricket." |
| Hughes death - the aftermath | Hughes death - the aftermath |