Victoria veteran Cameron White has earned a shock recall to Australia’s ODI squad for the Gillette ODI series against England.
White hasn’t played ODI cricket for almost three years but has earned a late call-up, replacing injured Queenslander Chris Lynn.
The 34-year-old has been one of the better performed players in domestic one-day cricket in recent years and his strong form for the Melbourne Renegades in the KFC BBL convinced selectors to give him another go at the top level.
“He’s in very good form as his figures demonstrate, he’s playing very well,” national selector Trevor Hohns said.
“He’s one of the leading run-scorers in the KFC BBL, he’s experienced, he’s a very smart cricketer and he’s a good fielder.
“He ticks all the boxes for what we need at this stage.”
Having been on the outer for several years despite strong performances domestically, White had all but conceded his international days were over.
Speaking on Tuesday, the Victorian literally laughed off the suggestion he could be the man to replace Lynn in the ODI squad.
“There’s a vacancy I guess, yeah,” he said with a chuckle. “No I haven’t heard anything.”
When asked if the upcoming T20 tri-series was a more realistic goal for him, White said: “I honestly don’t know. You’d have to ask the selectors, I couldn’t tell you.”
Speaking just last month, White conceded he’d given up on the prospect of ever forcing his way back into the international fold.
“I think if I was going to get picked I probably would have been picked in the past couple of years, I would have thought, with my white-ball form,” he said.
“There’s always hope but I don’t think so.”
White scored almost 200 at an average of 50 in the JLT One-Day Cup in October having been the tournament’s leading run-scorer last summer with 457 runs, including two centuries and two fifties.
While he plays predominantly as an opener domestically, White is expected to fill the vacant No.4 position in the batting order.
White is the second-highest run-scorer in the BBL and has edged out uncapped Hobart Hurricanes batsman D’Arcy Short (the BBL’s leading run-scorer) and in-form Perth Scorchers allrounder Ashton Turner.
White has been a vocal critic of some Australian selections in recent times, particularly when young untested players have been rushed into the international fold, with White saying last year that the Australia side sometimes resembled a “development team”.
Ironically, White’s selection represents a shift in that thinking and he could secure a spot for Australia’s World Cup campaign next year with some strong performances over the coming weeks.
2017-18 International Fixtures
Gillette ODI Series v England
Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
England ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
First ODI MCG, January 14.
Second ODI Gabba, January 19.
Third ODI SCG, January 21.
Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26.
Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28.Prime Minister’s XI
PM’s XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2.
Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series
England T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Mark Wood.
First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets
Second T20I Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets
Third T20I Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets
Fourth T20I NZ v England, Wellington, February 14
Fifth T20I NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16
Sixth T20I NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18Final TBC, Eden Park, February 21
