Australia captain Michael Clarke believes squad must put all controversy behind them as they look to find some solidity ahead of Ashes series.
Clarke returned to action on Wednesday for the warm-up match with Somerset after missing the whole of the tour so far due to a back injury.
The captain’s absence may have had some effect on the rest of the squad, who failed to impose themselves during the ICC Champions Trophy.
The Baggy Greens dropped out in the group stage after losing all of their matches including to hosts England.
Australia have also been without batsman David Warner, who has been suspended until the opening game of the Ashes series at Trent Bridge due to an incident involving England’s Tom Root in a bar.
The issues surrounding the team and poor results led to the sacking of coach Mickey Arthur last week and he was replaced by Darren Lehmann.
Clarke, 32, believes that although preparations may not have been perfect, the squad must unite and put any problems aside.
Clarke said: “Our mindset as a group is to move forward, there is no doubt about it.
“I think the boys trained really well yesterday and a lot of guys have come down early today to get some work in. We’re working really hard.
“We know that improvement’s needed from what’s happened in the past.”
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