Hussey sees contract as 'stepping stone'

David Hussey was in disbelief when he discovered he had earned his first Cricket Australia contract but the Victoria batsman knows there is still a long way to go before his dream of playing Test cricket is fulfilled. Hussey was one of 25 players to receive national deals, completing an exciting nine days after he was also named in the ODI squad to tour the West Indies in June.

"It's a stepping stone," Hussey said of his new contract. "It's one thing getting picked in the top 25 and another thing is playing. I desperately want an opportunity. It's remarkable just one phone call gives you a lot of self-belief and self-confidence."

Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said Hussey had been "knocking on the contract door for the past few interstate seasons", but it took his first thousand-run Pura Cup campaign in 2007-08 before he was finally included. However, with an established top six in the Test team and the record-breaking Simon Katich seemingly next in line, Hussey knows he must grab whatever one-day opportunities come his way.

"There's a lot of good batters floating around at the moment - Cam [White], Brad Hodge, Simon Katich, Shaun Marsh has been added," he said. "For me it's just basically making runs at the right time."

His Victoria team-mate White also held onto his contract despite not having played for Australia since February 2007. White considers himself primarily a batsman these days but he will be working hard on his legspin with no specialist one-day spinners in the squad.

Stuart MacGill and Beau Casson, the only two frontline slow bowlers on the list, are not regular limited-overs players for New South Wales. White took a backseat to Victoria's legspinner Bryce McGain in 2007-08, however he still averaged nearly eight overs a match in state one-dayers.

"My bowling is probably going to be the avenue into more games for Australia, so that's something I've got to do probably a little bit better," White said. "I'll probably get a bit more of an idea [of my role] when I get to the West Indies."

If White does find himself bowling more in ODIs - he averages only ten deliveries per game from his 16 appearances - he will be helping to fill the gap left by the newly retired Brad Hogg. Dan Cullen was one of the men Hogg tipped to take his one-day spot but the signs are not good for Cullen, who did not have his contract renewed despite a solid FR Cup season.

"Of course it is a bit disappointing not to make the list this time round but I have great support at the Redbacks and there is still plenty of time left for me to play for Australia," Cullen said. His South Australia team-mate, the legspinner Cullen Bailey, was also dropped from the national list after a disappointing year during which he was picked for only two Pura Cup games, taking one wicket.

Bailey said: "2007-08 was a challenging season but I have learnt much across a range of fronts. My focus is now completely dedicated to what happens next. I am working hard to develop my game."