Sydney, Nov 1 (IANS) Simon Katich’s manager Robert Joske will be seeking legal advice on how to approach the Cricket Australia’s (CA) compulsory disciplinary hearing over the former Test batsman’s claim that captain Michael Clarke was behind his Test sacking.
The 36-year-old Katich was reported by CA after he alleged that Clarke and CA chief executive James Sutherland played crucial role in his axing from the central contract list. He now faces a fine of up to $5,750 or suspension.
‘We’ve had some discussions about options but we haven’t determined which option we’re going to take. We’ll do that once we sit down with a legal brain and work out what the opportunities are,’ Joske was quoted as saying by The Age.
‘There are people that I can consult. Certainly, no one is backward in coming forward to support Simon at the moment,’ he said.
‘My understanding is that whoever is appointed to conduct the hearing makes a determination as to whether legal representation will be allowed,’ he said. ‘That’s the first question. When and where the hearing is, and whether legal representation is allowed. I’m just wading through the facts at the moment.’
Katich believes that he would not find a place in the Test squad as long as Clarke is the captain, citing the infamous incident between the pair in the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) dressing room in January 2009 as a reason for his axing. Katich had grabbed Clarke by the throat in a dispute over when the team song should be sung after Australia’s win over South Africa.
