Gillespie ruled out of tour opener

The Victoria captain Cameron White will lead the Prime Minister's XI for England's tour opener in Canberra on Friday after Jason Gillespie was ruled out with a shoulder injury. Gillespie, who was named as the captain three weeks ago, hurt his shoulder during South Australia's Pura Cup match against New South Wales and has been replaced in the side by Brett Dorey.

Gillespie's absence will leave the Prime Minister's XI with only two players who have played Test cricket: Phil Jaques, who will vice-captain the team, and Shaun Tait. Although the injury will rob Gillespie of the opportunity to push his claim for Test selection, he has previously said he considered himself below Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and Tait in the queue for an Ashes spot.

White said he was delighted to be given the chance to captain the side. "Obviously it's disappointing that Jason has had to pull out through injury as it would have been good to have his experience in the team," he said. "However, I'm happy to take the captaincy on and Brett Dorey has been in good form this season, has played one day cricket for Australia and I expect him to be a vital cog in our team come Friday."

The Prime Minister's XI game is the first of three tour matches for England before the first Test begins at the Gabba on November 23.