Darren Lehmann was on Monday hailed as the "obvious choice" after replacing the sacked Mickey Arthur as Australia head coach just 16 days before the first Ashes Test in England following several embarrassing on and off-field incidents involving the team. "The timing is far from ideal but we didn't feel we could sit back and hope matters would change without addressing issues critical to a high-performing team culture," Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland told a news conference in Bristol, southwest England. "It obviously isn't the type of change we want to make three weeks out from the Ashes commencing but we believe a change is needed. "Mickey Arthur is a good man, he's tried his utmost to do a good job and unfortunately, at the end of day he just hasn't quite done that. "We decided things weren't improving — we could let things be as they are." Sutherland praised former Australia batsman Lehmann, who played 27 Tests, as the "obvious choice to replace Mickey". "As a cricketer and a coach he has an outstanding record, he's very highly regarded in cricket and within the Australian team," said Sutherland of Lehmann, who was appointed on a two-year deal. "His performances recently as coach of Queensland and the Brisbane Heat have seen him win titles in all three formats of the game. "We've recognised that by giving him development opportunities as a coach, most recently as assistant coach to the Australia A team here in England." Sutherland also confirmed that Australia captain Michael Clarke, currently sidelined with a back injury, would stand down as a selector. South African Arthur, the first foreign-born coach of the Australian team when appointed in November 2011, appeared to have paid the price for a 4-0 Test series loss in India, a poor Champions Trophy campaign and a lack of discipline within the squad. This culminated with an incident which saw David Warner punch England's Joe Root in a bar in Birmingham, central England, after Australia's Champions Trophy loss to their arch-rivals earlier this month.