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AUSSIE cricket star Simon Katich received a VIP tour of Bahrain International Circuit during a visit to the kingdom.
The all-rounder, who recently took part in the controversial 20/20 Indian Premier League, was visiting the island with his wife Georgie, who has family living here.
Simon, 32, said: "It's my first time in Bahrain and I am really enjoying it. I just got back from an Australian tour in the West Indies and we have been busy visiting friends and family all over the world.
"Although we stayed only for a couple of days we really enjoyed Bahrain and are looking forward to coming back again as soon as possible."
The couple stayed with Georgie's mother Wendy and her husband Ambassador Winfred Peppinck, an adviser and counsellor to the Prime Minister's Court.
Georgie, 30, said: "I love Bahrain. I think everyone here is so friendly and welcoming. Manama is a really great city and I just think more people should come and visit it."
At the BIC, Simon and the family were given a tour of the VIP tower and welcome centre and enjoyed the thrills and spills on the Hummer course close-by.
Simon even got to sit in the passenger seat of a V8 car when it was taken for a spin. He said he loved the whole experience but nothing could match the excitement generated in a top class game of cricket.
He explained: "I'm a very competitive player. Even though it's a team sport it's also very individual. When you bat it's just you against the bowler and when you bowl it is just you against the batsman. So, even though you are playing with 10 other guys you are still fending for yourself and still on your own. That, for me, is the best challenge of all."
Simon Katich , one of the stars of the controversial Twenty/20 Indian Premier League which captured the imagination of a worldwide cricket audience, reckons the new ball game will grow from strength to strength.
He spoke exclusively to GulfWeekly about his participation in the inaugural season which attracted a host of international stars.
The IPL made headlines for the sums of money it offered the top players and the razzamatazz of skimply-dressed cheer-leaders had traditionalists choking on their cucumber sandwiches.
Simon said: "We were playing in front of 30-40,000 every game and the atmosphere was amazing. India is a phenomenal place and has probably the best supporters of cricket in the world. They just love their cricket."
He is currently the captain of the New South Wales Blues and has also captained, up until the end of the 2007 season, Derbyshire County Cricket Club. He recently played for the IPL team, Kings XI Punjab.
He is an accomplished left-handed top order batsman and occasional 'chinaman' bowler. He is well regarded for his timing and placement as a batsman, and draws comparison to former national team player Michael Bevan.
Simon made his Test debut during the 2001 Ashes tour of England and following Steve Waugh's retirement in 2004, established himself in the Australian team.
The 2007-08 domestic season could only be described as a triumph for Simon. He smashed 1,506 runs to break Bevan's all-time Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield record for runs in a season as New South Wales romped home undefeated to claim their 45th title.
Aside from being given the honour of captaining NSW in the Pura Cup final against Victoria, Simon also contributed scores of 86 and 92 to lead the match on run aggregate as he had done for the season overall. He was also crowned the Pura Cup player of the year for his 1,506 runs at an average of 94.12 and described his cricketing life during this period as "amazing".
He said that he enjoyed Bahrain because he was able to walk around without being recognised, a task almost impossible during his recent spell in India. Georgie found the experience overwhelming. She said: "When we go to parts of Australia he is recognised but in India he couldn't get away with walking down the street without a thousand Indians running up to him!"
The couple met eight years ago in a bar and the shy cricketer had to ask a teammate to introduce them. "I asked him what he did for a job and he said he was a cricketer," said Georgie. "I said: 'Oh, that's nice for the weekends but what is your real job?'
"I remember telling friends that I had met this really nice guy and saying 'I think he is a bum - he has no job because he just plays cricket'."
