Clarke played part in ending my Test career - Katich Daniel

Simon Katich has suggested he will never be chosen for Australia so long as the team is led by Michael Clarke.

Katich has admitted that Clarke did indeed play a role in his removal from the list of Cricket Australia contracts, having previously denied the pair's colourful history had anything to do with the decision.

On the day CA unveiled John Inverarity as its new full-time national selector, replacing the former chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch, Katich made a century for New South Wales in a drawn Sheffield Shield match and said he took little joy in the appointment because Clarke would not countenance his recall to the team.

Katich's relationship with Clarke deteriorated after a dressing room stoush at the end of the 2009 SCG Test between Australia and South Africa, in which Katich grabbed the then vice-captain by the throat after an argument had developed over when the team song would be sung.

Though he previously denied any link between the incident and the end of his international career, Katich now revealed it had played a significant part.

"It's pleasing to hear but I think you don't have to be Einstein to figure out that it's not just the selectors that had a part in sending me on my way," Katich said. "I mean to be brutally honest obviously what happened in the dressing room here a few years ago didn't help my cause. And obviously the captain and coach are selectors.

"Just because he [Inverarity] is going to be chairman of selectors or whatever role it is I wouldn't have thought that'd make too much difference."

Asked whether or not he could ever expect to play for Australia while Clarke was captain, Katich replied: "I wouldn't have thought so. That's probably why I'm in this position in the first place."

Katich also had further harsh words for CA, saying he had still not even received a phone call from the governing body's Melbourne headquarters to discuss his removal or commiserate.

"No one from Cricket Australia has been in contact with me since," Katicih said. "I just think that no-one's been in touch since that happened, it's pretty disrespectful I think from my personal point of view. Given I've been contracted for 11 years, to not have any contact whatsoever that's pretty disappointing.

"As Chris Rogers said that's blatantly rude to be honest. It's just common courtesy to give someone a call back.

"I enjoy playing my cricket here, so that's why I'm still playing. A big part of that was I had a lot of support at the time when the axing happened so to have that support has spurred me on to keep playing.

"Hopefully some good will come out of my situation. I wasn't the only one to go through it, plenty of players have felt the same frustration."

Following his removal from the contracts list, Katich had delivered a considered but unbridled attack on the national selectors and CA, foreshadowing much of the changes that were imparted by the Argus review, including the appointment of Inverarity.

However at the time he denied his confrontation with Clarke had any bearing on the decision.

"I don't think that was an issue," Katich said at the time. "We had a professional relationship."

Clarke, presently leading the Australian ODI team in South Africa, had similarly denied any involvement in the decision to remove Katich.

"To say that I have anything to do with it is plain wrong," Clarke said in June. "And to bring up what happened - what was it, two years ago between Simon and I - is just as wrong.

"We sorted things out there and then and I have enjoyed playing my cricket with him in the time since and I am looking forward to playing more cricket with him in the future. There is no ongoing issue between us and there wasn't one from the moment we sorted things out that day."
 
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