SYDNEY: Mickey Arthur, sensationally sacked as Australian cricket coach days before the Ashes series against England, Wednesday began conciliation talks over his dismissal, saying he hoped for a "reasonable resolution".
South African Arthur is suing Cricket Australia for up to Aus$4 million (US$3.7 million) over his axing, claiming there was a deliberate campaign against him and he had no choice but to take legal action.
"All we are looking for is just a fair and reasonable resolution today," Arthur said on arriving at the Fair Work Commission in Sydney.
"I can't take any questions."
He was sacked after Australia lost a Test series in India 4-0 and followed it up with a poor showing at the Champions Trophy in England, which was marred by the off-field misconduct of batsman David Warner.
Despite this, the 45-year-old said on Sunday his sacking came as a shock and left him devastated, while his reputation had suffered greatly as a result of his public ousting ahead of a major series.
"The damage to my reputation and career has been immense, which means the chances of me getting a senior job are that much less," Arthur said in a statement on Sunday.
Arthur claimed that after his dismissal, he received nothing in writing from Cricket Australia, "no contact, and no payment at all, not even my basic leave pay, until I was forced to bring in lawyers to assist in the process".
He said he had hoped that Cricket Australia would be willing to discuss the matter privately, but instead details were leaked to the media, including allegations that Australia captain Michael Clarke had told him that all-rounder Shane Watson and his faction were a "cancer" within the team.
Lawyers for Arthur, who was fired two years before his contract was due to expire, have said the coach was suing for racial discrimination.
Cricket Australia disputes a number of claims made by Arthur but said it "will not be articulating these disputes publicly except to say that we are confident in our legal position, are comfortable with the level of support provided to Mickey and look forward to resolving this matter in an appropriate manner".
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