Australian captain Michael Clarke has admitted that the late-night drinking antics of opener David Warner along with five other teammates during the ICC Champions Trophy has reflected badly on him as a captain.
While Clarke was receiving around-the-clock treatment on his back in London, away from their skipper's watch, his teammates were in a Birmingham bar drinking to the early hours, with Warner having a scuffle with England rival Joe Root, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Accepting that players partying until the early hours after a heavy loss has damaged his captaincy, Clarke said that such behaviour has an impact on the leadership, adding that they needed to try and improve as a leadership group as he believed that that the team has come a long way from in regards to the culture and setting up of behavioural standards.
Stating that the team also needed to aware of what is acceptable and what is unacceptable, the skipper also said that he does not hesitate to move away from any accountability as he is the captain of this team.
Although Clarke denied that there is a toxic culture in the team, he admitted that the team culture needed improvement, adding that the process should start with himself so that he can continue to work on his leadership and ensure that he is doing everything he can in his power to stop such incidents from happening again in the future.
According to Clarke, it is necessary for him to tighten his hold as such happenings has an impact on the entire team and its supporters, instead of just Warner itself, adding that they have got enough on their plate to focus on to become the best team they can be, for which they does not need such distractions off the field.
Meanwhile, former England captain Michael Vaughan had criticised Clarke for not making the trip to Birmingham on the Saturday and Wednesday to watch his players face England and New Zealand respectively in the Champions Trophy.
Vaughan had pointed to the fact that Clarke was able to break from his treatment schedule in London to attend Shane Warne's charity game on the Sunday, but not to watch his own side.
