Simon Katich is in career best form, peaking right in time for the Ashes. 0 runs from 17 balls is a special kind of innings that only the best modern players have the aptitude for. With a few more of these knocks Katto will be elevated to the level of a Rahul Dravid or Jacques Kallis, Test match gods amongst their contemporaries.

Not hitting a single run from three overs while Philip Hughes knocks around 17(26) at the other end, this is the sort of knock that I want to see more of from Katich. This is the form that bags him triple centuries in domestic competition, and god wont save the Poms or our Queen if he continues this sort of form in Cardiff.

We can but hope that Katto has removed that foul swipe outside off from his arsenal and from this scorecard I have determined that his mind is 100% focussed on redeeming the failures of 2005… although Aleem Dar must also take his share of the blame for the cleansing to be complete.

Let us pray that he’s been able to utilise his full arsenal of non-scoring shots in this dig, the ambitious and exaggerated leave wide outside off, the late bat swerve and shimmy round the ball which just misses the off stump, the forward defensive, the back foot punch, the push to cover, the duck, the swerve and the mis-timed pull to mid-on, all are integral parts of the Katich defensive suite.

This knock is honestly what I like to see from Katto. In that tough period approaching stumps with 5 overs to negotiate I applaud a non-scoring not-out.

He took a wicket too, in the 8 overs that Ponting gave him. If Punter stays true to form he wont bowl again this series.

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