- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
If Simon Katich does not get a call from Darren Lehmann or John Inverarity in the next week, he will be even more hard done by than in October 2011.
He didn’t deserved to be dropped then, which is when I first wrote Kat was right to feel hard done by over his ongoing isolation from the Test team.
In his last three years in the Test side (2008-2010), Katich had the highest average of any Australian Test batsman. He was consistent and he valued his wicket. Unconventional and unfashionable yes, but hard to get out.
Australian cricket has a nasty habit of having favourites and scapegoats.
Shane Watson (Test Average 34.92), David Warner (Test Average 39.46) and Phil Hughes (Test Average 32.65) are favourites, consistently picked because of what they could be, rather than what they are.
In contrast to Katich, each of them has obvious technical flaws and each of them show disrespect for their wicket with impetuous strokeplay. Yet the selectors have consistently found reasons to pick them, because of ‘potential’.
A similar story applies to Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc in the bowling ranks. Potential, I would argue, has been the most damaging concept in Australian cricket over the last five years.
Simon Katich, Test Average 45.03, is a scapegoat. Where the selectors have found a way to put Watson, Warner, Hughes and the like into the team, they repeatedly conjured ways to take Katich out of the team.
In the middle of the farcical 2010/11 Ashes series, in fact after only two Tests of that disastrous Australian tilt, the brains trust which gave us Michael Beer and Xavier Doherty dismissed Katich, and he has never returned.
Over the preceding 12 months, Katich had passed 80 on nine occasions, including two centuries, a 98 and a 99. Yet he claims Andrew Hilditch not only told him he was dropped, but he would never be picked again.
Think of some of the people who have been selected in Australia’s top six since then. Steve Smith, David Warner, Ed Cowan, Usman Khawaja, Chris Rogers, Phil Hughes, Marcus North, Shaun Marsh and Rob Quiney have all been given a go, in the hope they would spare the selectors the embarrasment of admitting they punted the Kat hastily.
Or, worse still, it had been personality rather than form which brought about his removal.
Not one of them has held down a place. Not one has done a better job than Simon Katich was doing.
This was, and remains, all about pride and personality. In hi two most recent innings, Katich scored 115 and 200. In Australia’s last two innings their top six batsmen collectively produced 90 and 133.
Katich’s 115 against Glamorgan last Monday was at Old Trafford, venue for the next Test, and was crafted over 294 deliveries. He faced 322 in his 200 a week earlier, in a highly pressured top of the table match against Northamptonshire.
In the first innings at Lords, Australia’s entire side lasted only 53.3 overs, or just over 300 balls.
There is only one question which should determine whether Simon Katich is picked for Australia, and that is whether he is one of Australia’s best six batsmen.
He is in form, he is proven at Test level, he can bat for long periods and is both experienced in and suited to English conditions.
Swallow your pride. Bring back the Kat.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.