Less than a month after being dropped from the Australian Test team, batsman Simon Katich has spoken out about his disappointment.
Katich told The Australian that he felt weighed down by the pressure to perform after Australia's failed Ashes bid where he made up part of the middle order.
However, he highlighted the run-out in the first innings of the one-off Super Series Test against the World XI as the final blow to his confidence.
"That was disappointing because I didn't do much wrong there, it all happened at the last moment," he said.
"Then suddenly, I found myself walking back to the pavilion.
"From there, the pressure started building and not long later I was gone (from the Test team)."
The sturdy middle order batsman said he found it hard coping with the pressure of hanging onto his Test spot when fellow Australians Mike Hussey and Brad Hodge were performing so well.
"It's been disappointing over the past four or five months, particularly in England," he said.
"Then it all built on me at the start of the summer at home.
"I've done nothing differently, that's been the most frustrating part of it. My preparation has been the same but, towards the end, I lost a bit of confidence and then there weren't any runs."
Katich concedes he will return to State cricket and hope to find his confidence along with his Test spot for the South African series in Australia later in the month.
