Ponting says Katich decision to slam selectors justified

Ricky Ponting believes Simon Katich was right to slam selectors for omitting him from the list of contracted players.

Ponting was asked about Katich on the AFL Footy Show, according to The Australian newspaper. "It's fair to say he (Katich) didn't hold back in his press conference and rightly so as well," said Ponting. "To be omitted from the contract list was a great shock to him. It was a shock to me. I was surprised that he wasn't named.


Ricky Ponting with Simon Katich (right). PIC/GETTY IMAGES

"His performance in the last two or three years has been as good as anybody's in the world."

Ponting said that he would have preferred the veteran batsman in the Test side. "I would have liked to have another old bloke around the group with me, yeah. It puts us 36-year-olds on notice now, Mike Hussey and myself. It's going to make us work that little bit harder."

AFL Footy Show Panellist Sam Newman asked the former captain thrice if he was criticising the selectors (Andrew Hilditch and Greg Chappell) and Ponting eventually said he was.

Earlier in the week, Katich said: "I'm extremely frustrated and disappointed about the decision."