Simon Katich
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 Australia (Aus) |
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| Batting style | Left-hand bat | |
| Bowling type | Left-arm chinaman | |
| Tests | ODIs | |
| Matches | 23 | 45 |
| Runs scored | 1260 | 1324 |
| Batting average | 36.00 | 35.78 |
| 100s/50s | 2/8 | 1/9 |
| Top score | 125 | 107* |
| Balls bowled | 659 | - |
| Wickets | 12 | - |
| Bowling average | 33.83 | - |
| 5 wickets in innings | 1 | - |
| 10 wickets in match | - | N/A |
| Best bowling | 6/65 | - |
| Catches/stumpings | 15/- | 13/- |
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As of 25 September 2006 |
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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, highly-rated fielder 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.
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[edit] 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 [1].
[edit] 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 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.
[edit] Richmond Controversy
Katich is a life-long supporter of the Richmond Football Club that play in the Australian Football League. In mid 2001, while still a registered player for the Western Australia cricket team, albeit in the Australian cricket off-season, Katich was invited to give the pre-game address to the Richmond players when they visited Western Australia to play the West Coast Eagles. This became a mild source of controversy in Western Australia as people discovered that one of its well-known cricketers was a major fan of a football club from the eastern states.
At a midweek press conference prior to the weekend when the game was fixtured, Ken Judge, then the coach of the West Coast Eagles, was asked what he thought of Katich addressing the players from the Richmond Tigers. Judge, who looked visibly nervous, remarked "I don't think Simon is going to give away any of our secrets - He's a good West Australian boy" followed by some nervous laughter.
The record shows that Richmond won the game in an upset and Judge was sacked as coach at the end of the season. Furthermore, prior to the next Australian cricket season, Katich joined the New South Wales Blues, having resigned from Western Australia. Many fans felt that Katich had turned his back on his home state.
[edit] Teams
[edit] International
- Australia (current)
[edit] Australian state
- New South Wales Blues (current)
- Western Warriors
[edit] English county
[edit] Career highlights
[edit] 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
[edit] 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.
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Katich, Simon Mathew |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Cricketer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 21, 1975 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Middle Swan, Western Australia |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
