Katich should have punched Clarke on face: Matthews

Katich and Clarke had an ugly showdown in 2009 when the former had grabbed the latter by the throat in a dispute over when the team song should be sung after Australia's win over South Africa.

"Can anyone truly, and I don't care if the press are here or not, can anyone just truly say to me what did he get wrong? One thing he got wrong was that he did not put one on Clarke when he should have," Matthews was quoted as saying by Foxsports.

"If a guy speaks his mind, wouldn't you rather hear what's really going on in there, the way it really was?

"Who would you rather go into war with? This cat (Katich) or Clarke? Or Andrew Symonds for that matter? Everyone forgets about Andrew Symonds getting flicked as well. Truth doesn't happen in this game anymore," he added.

Matthews said Australia would have fared better under Katich's leadership.

"Pick this guy (Katich) as captain, get (Tim) Paine in as vice-captain I tell you what, we'd be doing a lot better than how we're doing today," he said.

The 36-year-old Katich is currently facing a Cricket Australia disciplinary hearing over his claim that Clarke was behind his Test sacking. He faces a fine of up to 5,750 dollars or suspension.

Katich has hired a noted sports lawyer Darren Kane to spearhead his defence at the CA disciplinary hearing on November 21.