"Tiff with Clarke had no role to play"

Simon Katich has debunked speculation that his axing from Australia's contract list was a fallout of his two-and-a-half-year-old dressing room spat with Michael Clarke.

"I don't think that was an issue. We had a professional relationship," Katich said in a press conference.

The 35-year-old opener, who was axed by CA despite a reasonably good Test record, has decided to continue playing nonetheless.

But he rubbished suggestions that Clarke might have had a hand in getting him ousted to settle scores for the dressing room tiff during which the two came to blows.

"I know there's going to be a lot made of that," he said.

But Katich did admit that the two had a stand-off which was reportedly triggered during the celebrations of a Test win over South Africa.

"I'd just like to say that in regards to that situation, I'm not going to shy away from the fact that we had the incident a couple of years ago," said Katich.

He added: "But we've both been really professional in handling that over the last two years and it hasn't been a problem since then. So I don't think that's an issue," he said.

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