Katich ready for the axe

Simon Katich expects to celebrate his career-best performance with another stint in the dressing-room for Sunday's VB Series match against Pakistan at the WACA. Despite calmly steering Australia out of a desperate situation with 76 at the Adelaide Oval yesterday, Katich tipped Damien Martyn to replace him when he returns from a week's rest.

Rather than being disappointed, Katich said he was grateful for the opportunity as part of Australia's limited-overs rotation policy. "I understand my role at the moment, I get a chance if the other guys get a break," Katich said. "That happened down in Tassie when Matty [Hayden] was having a rest."

Brad Haddin, the reserve wicketkeeper, is another player who has performed strongly in his limited opportunities, collecting a stunning catch to remove Chris Gayle and helping rescue Australia by sharing an 82-run partnership with Katich at Adelaide. Haddin has been named in the New South Wales team to play Queensland tomorrow, and will make way for Adam Gilchrist's return at Perth.

"Every game is a great experience for us, so it's better to play one than none," Katich said. "Even though we might miss out on Sunday, I'd rather have played, and then at least you know you can get out there and get a few runs, and hopefully get another chance down the track."