Australia captain Michael Clarke has insisted that his side are totally united ahead of the Ashes second Test against England on Thursday.

Clarke was forced to respond to accusations from former coach Mickey Arthur, who is suing Cricket Australia for his dismissal last month, that the skipper has described Shane Watson as a "cancer" in the side.

However, Clarke is adamant that Australia are as united as ever, and that a lot of that is down to the appointment of new boss Darren Lehmann.

"I am not going to get involved in this," Sky Sports News quotes Clarke as saying.

"I cannot remember for long time the team being as united as we are right now and, no coincidence, Darren has played a big part in that.

"The most important thing is that we, as a team, are focused as we can be on Thursday."

Watson stood down as vice-captain and was replaced by Brad Haddin prior to the Ashes.