The immediate reaction from players was excitement at being able to play under one of the most popular and respected figures in Australian cricket.
When the Australian squad gathered at their team hotel in Bristol to mark the start of their Ashes campaign, there was a buzz amongst the players rather than a feeling of doom.
CA chief executive James Sutherland said management could either sit on their hands or take decisive action and try and jolt Australia into action.
Lehmann said he would live and die by his results - just like Arthur.
In the aftermath of the David Warner nightclub incident two weeks ago which now appears to have sealed Arthur's fate, innuendo about a cover up and a culture divide festered.
Lehmann said his reign would be defined by honesty.
"It's all about honesty. Dealing with anything that comes up straight away,'' Lehmann said.
"Leave no stone unturned. Make sure you've dealt with every issue straight away.
"I care about the players, there's no doubt about that.''
Former Test batsman and up until now, coach of Queensland, Lehmann said he will bring former legends such as Shane Warne into the set-up.
Lehmann is known for his love of a smoke and a beer.
But he said talking and bonding about cricket and life was what mattered, not what's in your glass.
"It's important to talk about the game whether it's with a beer or a Diet Coke. I don't mind,'' he said.
"Learning about ourselves as cricketers and people.''
Sutherland confirmed on Monday that former Australian batsman Lehmann would be the national coach through to June 2015.
"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,'' Sutherland said of Arthur's sacking a little more than two weeks out from the first Ashes Test.
"It obviously isn't the type of change we want to make (16 days) out from the Ashes commencing but we believe a change is needed.
Sutherland and high performance manager Pat Howard sacked Arthur in Bristol on Sunday night with 20 months still to run on his contract.
He was appointed in November 2011 and since that time Australia has struggled with inconsistent performances and numerous off-field issues. Australia has won 10 of 19 Tests, 18 of 39 ODIs and 7 of 16 T20s with Arthur at the helm.
Sutherland said those failures were at the heart of the decision.
"This has been a difficult decision to make but one that we feel is necessary,'' he said.
"We are looking to establish a high performing Australian cricket team that is consistent over a period of time. To achieve that, we need all the parts moving in the right direction. Recent on-field results have been too inconsistent.
"Discipline, consistency of behaviour and accountability for performance are all key ingredients that need to improve. And we see that the head coach is ultimately responsible for that.''
Arthur faced the press after Sutherland and Howard.
He accepted CA's decision with grace, saying he knew the responsibilities the position entailed.
"All I can say is I have given the job 100 per cent commitment,'' he said.
"If it wasn't good enough, so be it.''
- AAP
