This was published 8 months ago
‘Tell me the truth’: How Katich’s Johnson-style attack revolutionised selection
A little over a decade ago, Simon Katich was somewhere near where Mitchell Johnson is now.
Cast as Australian cricket’s version of Howard Beale (from the 1976 film Network), a speaker of uncomfortable truths after his unceremonious axing from the national contract list, Katich shook up the game with a series of comments aimed squarely at Cricket Australia and the national selection panel.
On the front foot: Simon Katich with Mitchell Johnson in 2008.Credit: Steve Christo
He was mad as hell, and he wasn’t going to take it any more. A few choice lines from June 2011:
“When you talk about money you get the best in the business for paying. If you pay peanuts you get monkeys.”
“I just hope that something good comes out of this situation because I actually think the decision that came on Tuesday was absolutely ridiculous.”
“I’ve only had a four-minute conversation with Andrew Hilditch on Tuesday, and I haven’t heard from anyone else at CA since, and I’ve been involved in the organisation since 1999.”
Like some of Johnson’s recent lines about David Warner, selection chair George Bailey and CA, there’s the same indignant tone, the careful choice of words for maximum impact and the populist appeal to cricket’s wider following.
But Katich’s public attack was searching for improvements to the systems of selection, communication and contracting. Improvements that Katich believes have been made, both at international level and on the franchise circuit where he is now a coach.
“There were times in my own career where I don’t think that transparency and honesty was necessarily there,” Katich told this masthead. “Particularly at the end, because to be told that ‘we want to bed down the opening partnership for 2013’, that just didn’t sit well with me.
“So to hear that, you just go ‘tell me the truth’, and that’s why I didn’t believe it. I know it’s not easy and everyone is different, but in my position now, I feel that’s one of my strengths because I know I’m brutally honest and I know there’s going to be times when people won’t like to hear that, particularly with disappointing news.
Mitchell Johnson and David Warner in happier days.Credit: Getty
“But the players generally respect you when you can eyeball them and say ‘I’m not going to fluff around with it, this is why’. Once they hear that and know you’re there to try to help them with that, I think they appreciate that.”
Looking at the current team and their results in 2023, Katich said that the selection panel led by Bailey had been able to foster trust and consistency, which formed part of the reasons why numerous players were performing at a high level after previously shuffling in and out of the side.
“Once the players understand a decision that may go against them individually is for the betterment of the team, they understand that, provided you can give them good reasoning why,” Katich said. “A lot of that stems from having really good conversations with them at the start of a tournament or other times to say ‘this is the expectation around your role’ and if you don’t quite get there, we have to look at another option.
“I can understand why George is going about it that way because the modern player appreciates that, and they like to have that support around them, knowing they’re trying to act in their best interests and also that of the team.”
One of Johnson’s most pointed comments was around Bailey being too close to the team, whereas selectors during the left-armer’s career stood at more of a distance. Katich considered the two eras carefully.
“I loved the era I played in, and I’ve got some great mates from that era and it is one of the greatest Australian teams, particularly that 2004 India series,” Katich said. “But I think this group would have been great to play with as well, and the way they’re going about it and the success they’re having is thoroughly deserved because they are doing things a little bit differently.
“We have seen a few guys thrive in this environment where previously they’ve been in and out of the team. Usman [Khawaja] is a great example, Travis [Head] is a great example, now Mitch [Marsh] is another one. So credit to Macca [Andrew McDonald], Cummo [Pat Cummins] and the group to create that environment to allow them to be themselves.”
Perhaps the hardest recent selection call made by the current panel was the decision to drop Alex Carey after one game of the World Cup in India. It involved numerous conversations in the right settings, with the opportunity for both player and selectors to chart a path forward.
“You want to be able to have a panel that can have those honest conversations, you don’t want to be going to bed at night wondering why, and I didn’t,” Carey said. “Although you still don’t like to hear it, you’re able to talk through, move on and try to help the team.
“We had George and Ronnie over there, Patty as well, and these guys are approachable pretty much 24/7 – if you’ve got a question, go and ask them. They’ve all got relationships with this group to be able to go and do that, and basically ask any question you want. Don’t leave any stone unturned, it’s your career, ask questions.”
In 2011, Katich was left angry and disillusioned when that message was conveyed on a brief phone call, immediately before a fitness session with the NSW squad. Times have changed.
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