Sacked Australian coach Mickey Arthur on Tuesday admitted he "lost" Shane Watson, while criticizing the team's young players for having "big egos" while earning "obscene amounts of money".

The South African has refrained from commenting since being dumped just weeks before the Ashes campaign against England, but in an interview with Sydney's The Daily Telegraph he detailed a fractured relationship with his vice-captain.

"My relationships were outstanding, except with Watson. He was one of the guys I lost," Arthur said.