Simon Katich

Katich was an AIS Australian Cricket Academy scholarship holder in 1996.[6] and made his debut for the Western Australia state team in the 1996–97 season. The following season he was a central figure in Western Australia's Sheffield Shield success, scoring an impressive 1,039 first-class runs for the season.[7]

He was selected to tour Sri Lanka with the national team the following season but suffered greatly from illness, including a debilitating bout of chicken pox.[8]

He recovered to contribute further for his state, highlighted in the 2000–01 domestic season where he helped himself to 1,282 first-class runs. He later switched from Western Australia to New South Wales where he currently lives.

Katich made his Test debut in the fourth Test of the 2001 Ashes tour of England. He failed to capitalize making only 15 and was not out 0. In only his second match he bowled for the first time in Test cricket, and in the second innings took 6/65 against Zimbabwe in Sydney.

Following Steve Waugh's retirement in 2004, Katich established himself in the Australian team. His best Test batting performance came against India at Sydney in January 2004, when his 125 and unbeaten 77 saved Australia the Test, series, and a decade long unbeaten record at home. Despite this, he was dropped in favour of Andrew Symonds for Australia's next Test, in Sri Lanka, when Symonds was dropped after the first two Tests, Katich was picked for the third Test and made a patient 86. He regained his place and enjoyed a good Test series in India in October 2004, where he made good scores of 81 and 99. His good form continued with 118 against New Zealand in March 2005.

However, he had a poor Ashes tour of England later that year batting at number 6,[8] and after scoring only two runs in the following two Tests (against the ICC World XI and the West Indies), he was dropped from the Test side. Katich was fined for showing dissent during the fourth Test to umpire Aleem Dar along with captain Ricky Ponting.[9]

Since the commencement of the 2005–06 season, Katich attempted to cement his place in the Australian one day cricket side, having lost his Test place. Australia persisted with him throughout the VB Series and in South Africa, as Katich 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. Katich was not picked in the 15 man squad to play in the World Cup in the West Indies. Katich played a total of 45 One day Internationals.

Selected for the 2008 Australian team's tour of India he found himself opening the batting with the injury to Phil Jaques.

He retained his spot for the home series against New Zealand. In the first Test, at the Gabba, Brisbane, he made 10 in the first innings (in which Australia was all out for 214 on a tough batting deck). However, in the second innings, Katich carried his bat through the innings; the first cricketer to do so at Test level since Mark Taylor in the late 1990s. He made 131 not out, 48.88% of Australia's total of 268, in an innings in which the next highest score was 31 (by Mitchell Johnson batting at no. 10). Katich's batting allowed Australia to post a victory target of 327, which it ultimately defended.

Katich fielding at short leg in a Test match against India in October 2010.

Katich was selected for the 2009 tour to England and he played in all five Ashes Tests, scoring 341 runs in 8 innings at an average of 42.62. Katich opened the batting with Phillip Hughes for the first two Tests at Cardiff and Lord's but Hughes was dropped for the Third Test at Edgbaston due to poor form, so Katich was then partnered by Shane Watson for the final three Tests. This proved successful as Watson and Katich scored more runs at the top of the order than the previous Hughes-Katich combination. Katich scored his eighth Test century in the First Test with 122. This was backed up later in the series with a half century. Katich scored these runs at a strike rate of 53.87. He also took six catches in the field and effected two direct hit run outs in the Fifth Test.

In October 2015,[17] Katich was appointed as the assistant coach for Kolkata Knight Riders.

In August 2019, Katich was appointed as the Head Coach for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

In the middle of the 2010/11 Ashes series between Australia and England, Katich injured his Achilles spot. In mid-2011 the Cricket Australia Selection Panel did not grant Katich a new international contract despite Katich being one of the most consistent batsmen in the team. At the time he was dropped, Katich had an average as an opening batsman of 50.48 runs.[18] The selectors claimed that they were planning for the future but Katich has claimed that new Australian captain, Michael Clarke, was behind his test axing due to a scuffle after a Test match between Clarke and Katich in the SCG dressing rooms. Former Test Cricket bowler, Brett Lee, claimed in his autobiography that "If you don't get on with Katich, you're a pretty ordinary bloke." Katich was given a lot of support following his axing and he said at the start of the 2011/12 Sheffield Shield season that he would score 1,000 runs in the season. Katich started strongly, hitting two centuries in his first three matches but he struggled with fitness towards the end of the season, finishing with 483 runs at an average of 43.9.

Katich attended Trinity College in Perth, Western Australia, where there is a cricket pavilion named after him.[19] He married Georgie Willis in May 2006. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce[20] from the University of Western Australia.[21] He has anosmia, which was caused by an attack of glandular fever.

Katich is of Croatian descent. His father's parents were born in Croatia and emigrated to Australia in the 1920s, eventually settling in Perth.[22] His father, Vince, was a police detective who helped play a part in the capture of serial killers David and Catherine Birnie.[23]

Katich and his wife Georgie became parents in 2011 when their son was born.[24]

Katich is Catholic and is quoted as saying, "My faith gives me a focus in how I lead my life and go about my cricket."[25]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Simon Katich.

• Simon Katich at ESPNcricinfo
• HowSTAT! statistical profile on Simon Katich