Mark Waugh pays tribute to Simon Katich – Cricket News Update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SM-Katich-c2543, who recently retired from first-class cricket, stating that the 36-year-old deserves to be remembered as one of Australia’s best cricketers.
“He's got a very good record both at first-class and Test level at the top of the order, so he should be remembered as one of our best players,” Waugh said. “I don't think he should have got dropped. His record was better than a few of the guys that were
in that team ahead of him.”
Katich made his international debut in 2001, in a Test match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 at Leeds, but after the 2005 Ashes defeat, it was a downhill slide for the batsman, and his central contact was cut in 2007. However, an outstanding performance in the 2007-08 domestic
season with New South Wales earned him another chance in the national team, and he went on to become one of the most indispensible players at the top of the order.
Katich played a total of 56 Tests with 10 centuries and 4188 runs at an average of 45.03 to his credit. His career also spanned 45 ODIs, with 1324 runs at 35.78. In addition, he also played 10 seasons with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-South-Wales-c823, during which he scored 5,309 runs
at an average of 61.73.
“I think it was his age and maybe because he's unfashionable, maybe that's the reason he did get dropped,” Waugh observed. “If you go purely on statistics he should not have got dropped when he did, he was our most consistent player at the top of the order.”
Despite impressive figures, Katich became a victim of Cricket Australia’s desire to restructure the team following their humiliating 2010-11 Ashes defeat on home ground. He lost his central contract last year, and followed it up with a fairly http://www.senore.com/Cricket/George-Sharp-c59621 press
conference, during which he blamed a 2009 dressing room argument with skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978 as the reason behind his being dropped.
He was reprimanded for his comments, and any chances of making a comeback to the national squad ended. The left-hander himself admitted last year that his ODI career was over. His replacement at the top of the Test order, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Phillip-Hughes-c2185, was unable to settle
into his role, but Katich was not recalled, and instead the duo of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Andrew-Graham-Downton-c44379 Cowan has been employed.
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