Give Katich the ball

From Daniel Cotton, Australia
The answer to Australia's spinning dilemma is a left-arm chinaman already with the squad. In the run up to the Australia A tour of India last month Simon Katich did not bowl in the nets. Instead, having been picked as captain he felt his role was to give every opportunity to Australia's new spinners. "It would be wrong as the captain to be bowling myself, he said. "We have picked so many bowlers on this tour as the selectors want to have a look at those guys."

In the wake of the retirements of Warne, Hogg and MacGill, Australia trialled three relatively inexperienced spin bowlers on the Australia A tour. The best of those three, Bryce McGain, is now injured and will be flying home. Additionally, the selectors saw fit not to pick Beau Casson, the West Indies debutant, in the senior squad. Again he has been overlooked; it has just been announced that Cameron White, an 'all-rounder' who on average has bowled two overs in each of his 21 ODIs to date, is to join the Squad as McGain's replacement.

Without debating the merits of the selection, surely with a Monday arrival, White won't be match ready by Wednesday. Now, with Jason Krejza's 0/123 at an economy rate of 6.15 in the first innings of the tour match against the Indian Board President's XI, it is time for Katich to loosen up. Krejza simply doesn't appear up to the task and his First Class career statistics of just 43 wickets at an average of 45.46 from 23 games doesn't make good reading.

By contrast Katich has 86 First Class wickets at 37.41. Better still, his 12 Test wickets have come at 33.83. Katich is a better, more experienced bowler. And while it may be tempting to consider that even a jet-lagged White, as the 'specialist' spinner, would be a better selection than a part-timer, it is worth noting that White's average and strike-rate at First Class level is inferior to that of Katich.

Not picking a specialist spinner and giving the bulk of spinning duties to Katich has other benefits. Australia's batsman have so far underperformed on tour; the addition of an extra batsman would help bolster the line up. In this scenario Australia won't be short of bowlers; the addition of allrounder Watson to the trio of Lee, Clark and Johnson makes for a healthy pace attack. Additionally Michael Clarke, who has an unbelievable bowling record in India, can provide support.

Clarke's back troubles make it impractical for him to bowl a large number of overs, Katich, however, has no such problem. The year after moving from WA to play for NSW Katich bowled 141 overs in picking up 32 First Class wickets at 22.21. A performance that caused Stuart McGill to remark, "When he came to NSW I identified him as the second best spin bowler in NSW by head and shoulders. He's got the potential to be a great all rounder for Australia." He followed it up with a further 17 wickets the following season before he took over the State captaincy. And this is the problem for the selectors, as captain Katich rarely bowls and so we have seen little of his talent as a wrist spinner since. Seemingly Katich' modesty is depriving Australia of an exciting spinner.

An exception to his bowling exile came this May when Ponting threw him the ball in an Australians tour match against the Jamaica Select XI. Katich picked up match figures of 6/66, afterward telling reporters that he has never stopped bowling in the nets. Just as well, it looks like he will be needed.

If the selectors do make what would be seen by many as the brave move of entrusting Katich with the spinning duties, it won't be without precedent. Michael Bevan, coincidentally another NSW batsman and left-arm chinaman, was picked for his bowling abilities in the 1996-97 series against the West Indies: he took 15 wickets in the series and had match figures of 10/113 in Adelaide. Katich has every chance of equalling that feat.