Simon Katich kissed his bat at the SCG.

No wonder - it's been good to him lately.

Katich rescued NSW from potential disaster on day two of the Pura Cup match against Western Australia with a polished 101 not out, continuing his rollicking start to the season which has been everything he could have hoped for and more.

He's made a hugely successful Test recall and two important tons for the Blues.

Beau Casson's left-arm wrist spin threatened to skittle the Blues when he stopped a resurgent Michael Slater (45) in his tracks and took the prized wickets of Test captain Steve Waugh for a duck and Mark Waugh for ten as the Blues lost 3-3 in a hurry before tea.

But Katich, whose last Pura Cup century was for WA against NSW on the same ground two summers ago, guided his adopted side to the relative safety of 5-273 at stumps, a deficit of 103 runs on the first innings.

Earlier, WA made 376 thanks to Murray Goodwin's unbeaten 201.

Katich, chosen unexpectedly last month in the Australian side, when he made 52 and took 6-65 in the second innings of the SCG Test against Zimbabwe - and then cracked 136 in the ING Cup at Bowral - conjured up a four-hour gem, playing cautiously while wickets tumbled but driving and pulling magnificently later on.

Replying to WA's solid but unspectacular first innings, the Blues were travelling nicely at 1-90 before Slater glided a wrong 'un from Casson to Langer at first slip - an unexpected departure with the former Test opener spanking them before erring.

Having a terrible start to the season, Langer - who replaced Slater atop the Test order two years ago - would have been glad to see the back of the 33-year-old before he could forge a big enough score to make whispers about a possible future Test recall any louder.

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