Katich left incandescent as Australia jettison him

The opening batsman, 35, labelled his axing as “ridiculous”.

“To be given the reason that it’s because the opening partnership needs to bed down for 2013, when I know for a fact that Shane Watson and I have thoroughly enjoyed opening together, and it’s been one of the bright spots of our team in the last two years, I find it very hard to believe... that got me steaming.”

Katich also criticised the selectors’ recent methods. Australia have declined from first to fifth in the ICC Test rankings, and lost the Ashes series at home and away. “There needs to be more consistency,” Katich said. “The facts are a week or two before the Ashes a squad of 17 was named.

“If you can’t know what your best 11 is a week or so before our biggest Test series, that to me reeks of indecision.

“There’s been rules for some and rules for others.”

Cricket Australia’s selectors are currently employed part-time, and Katich commented: “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.”

He added that his views were shared by others, saying: “This is not just about me but a number of players that have felt aggrieved at how they’ve been treated by the selectors in particular.”