Shane Watson flatly denies firing the bullet that led to David Warner being punished for a nightclub punch in Birmingham.

Breaking his silence after three weeks of controversy in the Australian camp, Watson also admitted he wasn’t enjoying his cricket under sacked coach Mickey Arthur and was excited to be starting afresh under new mentor Darren Lehmann.

Various reports have suggested it was Watson who informed Arthur about Warner’s punch because he was concerned by double standards. Watson was one of four players stood down from the third Test in Mohali in March for not handing in homework.

Arthur said before his departure that Watson still had trust issues with him after Mohali, but that the intention was always to stand Warner down, even if that decision wasn’t made public until days after the event.

Watson said he played no role, inadvertent or otherwise, in dobbing Warner in or pushing for his teammate to be punished, but suggested a harsh marker had already been set.

“The precedent that was set through Mohali was quite a dangerous precedent – there’s no doubt about that,” the allrounder said.

“Mickey and the leadership group found out about Dave’s incident off their own bat. It had absolutely nothing to do with me and I’m not sure why that was brought out in the media, because it certainly wasn’t the truth.

“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.”

Watson said he was keen to put his recent issues behind him and move on under a new coach with a starkly different style.

His enjoyment for the game had waned after the Mohali episode, but he was now excited about what lies ahead under the new regime.

“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.”

Lehmann has already assured Watson he will return to opening the batting in the Ashes, whereas Arthur and captain Michael Clarke had previously been unsure.

Lehmann’s support paid immediate dividends, with the powerful opener smashing 90 against Somerset on Thursday, 80 of them in boundaries.

Clarke made 45 in an impressive return from his three-month injury layoff.

Ed Cowan and Usman Khawaja were out cheaply and have work to do to secure a spot for the first Test.