Brisbane, Nov 8 : The Australian team is embarrassed after leakage of their secret plan of using verbal aggression and engaging in "psychological warfare" against Proteas, with skipper Michael Clarke claiming it as "common knowledge" on the eve of the first Test at the Gabba.

The publication of the document follows similar embarrassing incidents on two Ashes tours to England in 2009 and 2001.

A leaked dossier contained sections on every Proteas player, listing each one's strengths and weaknesses. It encouraged Australia's pacers to trouble the opposition top order with short-pitched deliveries, "get into the head" of batsman Hashim Amla and make world No. 1 paceman Dale Steyn bowl as much as possible to left-handers.

When asked about the secret dossier on Thursday, Clarke said: "Well there was certainly information in there that is common knowledge we''re aware of. There was some other stuff in there that was, like I say, quite an interesting read. But at the end of the day we have plans for every opposition we play against and it's no different against South Africa."

He denied knowledge that the material, which was published by News Ltd, had been leaked by the Australian hierarchy in a psychological ploy against the top-rated South Africans, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Clarke said: "No. I can only talk from my behalf. Not that I know of, no. We as a team don''t have an official dossier, like you say as such. We look at footage, we talk about opposition players, we study opposition''s strengths and weaknesses as a bowling group and a batting group. That''s what we do as a team.

"Like I say there was some stuff in there that is common knowledge about the South African team, there was some other stuff in there that we certainly haven''t spoken about."

The Test captain played down the relevance of the tip sheet''s publication on the first Test and the series. (ANI)