Michael Clarke has stepped aside as a selector following the dramatic sacking of Australian cricket coach Mickey Arthur.

The Australian Test skipper’s decision to resign is part of the coaching restructure Cricket Australia will announce at a press conference in Bristol later on Monday.

Former Test batsman and current Queensland Bulls coach Darren Lehmann will be unveiled as the new coach and it’s unknown at this stage whether he will stay on as a selector.

The position of a captain as a selector has been a contentious one since the Argus review recommended the structure in 2011.

The theory against the set-up is that players can’t feel safe revealing their thoughts and weaknesses to Clarke when he has the power to wield the axe.

Recent developments suggest a cultural divide in the Australian team, and the sacking of Arthur and the stepping aside of Clarke as a selector is an attempt to set things on the right course with the Ashes series due to start in two weeks.