Australian all-rounder also reveals he enjoys playing under new national coach.
Shane Watson has quashed rumors he was the player who reported David Warner to Australian cricket offcials for his part in a pub fight with Joe Root.
Warner became the focus of attention in the lead-up to the Ashes series for all of the wrong reasons, after getting into an altercation with with the English player in Birmingham.
The all-rounder denies reporting the punch thrown by Warner to offcials in the hopes of stamping out perceived double standards, after Watson was stood down by Arthur in the wake of the third Test against India in March.
Arthur said Watson had trust issues with him after he was stood down over the “homework-gate saga”.
“The precedent that was set through Mohali was quite a dangerous precedent – there’s no doubt about that,” the all rounder said of off-field behaviour.
“There were some people who were in and around the incident at the time who had relayed the information, so it certainly had nothing to do with me.”
After being stood down in India talked swirled around Watson’s future in Test cricket and if he would retire from the longest form of the game.
However, with the announcement of Darren Lehmann as the new Australian coach and back-to-back Ashes series coming up, Watson said his love for Test cricket has been rekindled.
“The way Darren operates is a more lighthearted way,” he said.
“He played the game for the enjoyment and, as a coach, one of the big things he instils in the group is to make sure we are having fun.
“There were certainly times after Mohali that I wasn’t having that much fun, and that is something Darren has ensured.
“He will make sure people aren’t worried about failing. He’s more about showing how good they are.”
Australia will play England in the first Test match of the upcoming Ashes series on July 10 at Trent Bridge.
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