Simon Katich
 | |
Source: [1], 25 September 2006 |
Simon Mathew Katich (born August 21, 1975 in Middle Swan, Western Australia) is an Australian cricketer. He is currently the captain of the New South Wales Blues.
He is an accomplished left-handed top order batsman and occasional Chinaman bowler. He is well regarded for his timing and placement as a batsman, and draws comparison to former national player Michael Bevan. He married Georgie Willis in May 2006.
Early career
Katich made his debut for the Western Australia state team in the 1996-1997 season. The following season he was a central figure in Western Australia's Sheffield Shield success, scoring an impressive 1039 first-class runs for the season [2].
International selection
He was selected to tour Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe with the national team the following season but suffered greatly from illness, including a debilitating bout of chicken pox and subsequent health problems. However he recovered to contribute further for his state, highlighted in the 2000-2001 domestic season where he helped himself to 1282 first-class runs. He later switched from Western Australia to New South Wales where he currently lives.
Katich made his Test debut on the 2001 Ashes tour of England and following Steve Waugh's retirement in 2004, established himself in the Australian team. His best Test batting performance came against India at Sydney in January 2004, when his unbeaten 125 and 77 saved Australia the Test, series, and a decade long unbeaten record at home. Despite this, he was dropped in favor of Andrew Symonds for Australia's next Test, in Sri Lanka. He regained his place and enjoyed a good Test series in India in October 2004, and followed up with a hundred in New Zealand in March 2005. However, he had a poor Ashes tour of England later that year, and after scoring only two runs in the following two Tests (against the ICC World XI and the West Indies), was dropped from the Test side. Katich was fined during the Ashes for showing dissent to umpire Aleem Dar along with captain Ricky Ponting.
Since the commencement of the 2005/06 season, Katich is attempting to cement his place in the Australian one day cricket side, having lost his Test place. He has been sometimes criticised for his slow scoring rate in one day internationals, but others believe he is the perfect antidote to the aggressive fellow opening batsman Adam Gilchrist. Australia persisted with him throughout the VB Series and in South Africa, as Katich has scored runs fairly consistently. However, he struggled in the DLF Cup in September 2006; the next month he lost his place at the top of the order to Shane Watson, who impressed Ponting with some attacking displays against the West Indies and an Indian state team.
Teams
International
- Australia (current)
Australian state
- New South Wales Blues (current)
- Western Warriors
English county
Career highlights
Tests
Test Debut: vs England, Leeds, 2001
- Katich's best Test batting score of 125 was made against India, Sydney, 2003-2004
- His best Test bowling figures of 6 for 65 came against Zimbabwe, Sydney, 2003-2004
One-day internationals
ODI Debut: vs Zimbabwe, Melbourne, 2000-2001
- Katich's best ODI batting score of 107* was made against Sri Lanka, The Gabba, on February 14 2006.