There is much about Clarke's conduct on and off the field that has impressed the former Australian coach, and he knows disharmony can manifest itself even in the most successful environments, but Buchanan suspects the 27-year-old vice-captain is still learning to appreciate the team values promoted by champions such as Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, who recently have vacated the Australian dressing room.

"From a distance, one would think he is saying all the right things and doing all the right things," Buchanan said. "I think he has still got a long way to go in terms of maturity and understanding what the word 'team' really means, but the more opportunities he is given to learn that, whether in a formal leadership sense or in and around people like Ponting and [Michael] Hussey and others the better. Whether he chooses to take those opportunities or not is up to him."

Cricket Australia yesterday tried to play down the heated physical argument that broke out hours after Australia's win over South Africa at the SCG last month, and Clarke laughed it off at the toss before yesterday's one-day international against New Zealand.

"A month ago Simon and I did have a disagreement, but that was sorted out there and then," Clarke said on Channel Nine. "Kato and I are fine. All is good. Right now, the position we're in, in all forms of the game, off the field has been fantastic. We've got a great group of guys around us and, apart from the performances on the field, everyone has enjoyed the time together off the field."

Katich appears to have been the aggressor and is perhaps fortunate not to be admonished by Cricket Australia after grabbing his vice-captain by the throat. Although Katich captains Clarke when they play for NSW, in the Australian dressing room he is inferior in ranking to the younger man, yet his actions after the Sydney Test demonstrate a distinct lack of regard for his leadership title. Katich has previously been involved in an altercation with NSW teammate Brad Haddin.

The incident after the SCG Test was sparked by Clarke urging the team to hurry up and sing the victory song, Under the Southern Cross We Stand , because he had arranged for the players and staff to get together for a late meal.

After an earlier Test, Ponting left the dressing room early but afterwards the team agreed the players should stay together after matches. The South African players came into the Australian room to socialise, having lost the game but won the series, and they talked and drank for a while before heading to their hotel. At 10.40pm, when Clarke suggested the players sing the song and head for dinner, Katich is understood to have told him to "f--- off", Clarke replied, "Don't you swear at me", and within seconds of Katich grabbing Clarke they were separated by teammates.

The story of the fight was leaked to media on Thursday. The timing of the leak coincided with Clarke's pull-out from the IPL, over which tournament chairman Lalit Modi has threatened to ban him from all future series.

Player agent Neil Maxwell, whose company manages Michael Hussey and Brett Lee, was suggested as the source of the leak due to his close association with Modi but rubbished the claim yesterday. "I knew nothing about it, that is bullshit," Maxwell said.

Before his fine 98 against the Black Caps at the MCG yesterday, Australia had won all five of the one-day internationals in which Clarke has filled in for Ponting as captain. However, doubts remain about his leadership aspirations and the unity of the national team. Some players believe too many of Clarke's moves are premeditated for fear of jeopardising his chance of being Ponting's successor. His once-close relationship with Andrew Symonds, whom he once saved from fighting Springboks rugby props in a South African bar, has been strained since he confronted Symonds over his behaviour in a West Indies bar last year, when Symonds reportedly threw a drink over the vice-captain before storming out. When Symonds missed a team meeting in Darwin following that tour, Clarke was part of the leadership group that sent the Queenslander home.

There has also been some private criticism about Clarke's over-complicated method of captaincy when standing in for Ponting.

And some players fear he is too concerned with his image. He supports the Wests Tigers and is a regular visitor to their dressing room but last year knocked back a chance to pose for photographs with NRL superstars such as Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah. An email from Clarke's management provided the reason for the rejection - being photographed with league players would wreck his image.

"To be fair, it was when leaguies were in the news for the wrong reasons," Tigers chief executive Scott Longmuir said. "There was some drama going on. It was an independent thing that was going to involve us and Michael. We got invited, he got invited, there was a common cause, but then we got this circular saying he wasn't to be photographed with any league players.

"We weren't dirty on him. We were a bit taken aback because we thought it was drawing a bit of a long bow - none of the Tigers players were involved in the trouble. But in his position, you can understand him looking after his reputation."

Clarke's batting coach, Neil D'Costa, defended him, depicting him as a young man trying to juggle cricket and relationships in a cramped schedule, the reason given for his decision to knock back the rupees on offer in yesterday's IPL auction.

"We have a young guy representing his country and his sport with distinction. He's a polite guy with a lot of respect. Rather than supporting a young player we have seen grow into a great player, and someone who holds representing his country so dear to his heart, there are people out there trying to rip him to shreds," D'Costa said. "For him to be painted as the bad guy, what's the motivation there?"