Nervous White hopes for the best
A nervous Cameron White prepares himself to possibly take on the role as Australia's specialist spinner
Cricinfo staff
07-Oct-2008
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Cameron White remains in a daze following the late call-up that could lead
to a Test debut on Thursday. Australia's selectors will look at White, who
is usually considered a batting allrounder, to fill the spinner's spot
following a tour-ending injury to Bryce McGain and the poor start of Jason
Krejza in the warm-up game in Hyderabad.
McGain is confident his Victoria captain, White, can make an impact at Test
level, but White is unsure what role - if any - he will be asked to
fulfill. He has been in India for two days and said it would take time to
get his head around the swift elevation.
"It's a little bit daunting, I'm probably a little bit nervous at the
moment as well," White told AAP. "So I don't really know what my
role is if it does happen, probably a pretty big 'if' at the moment. In
the next couple of days I'll get more information and go from there."
Beau Casson became Australia's 401st Test player in Australia's previous
engagement against West
Indies in June, but the selectors have refused to invite him to India,
leaving White in a battle with Krejza. The offspinner Krejza was punished
by the Indian Board President's XI when he failed to take a wicket and
conceded 199
runs in 31 overs.
At Victoria, White, who is more accustomed to containing in the one-day
format, prefers to rely on McGain rather than use himself for extended
periods. However, White won praise from Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of
selectors, for his five ODI wickets against Bangladesh recently and was called for
his second Test tour.
"If the opportunity did come [my role] would just be to not be too
expensive, just play that holding role maybe," he said. "I'm probably not
a big spinner of the ball, probably the pitches in Australia tend to
bounce a little more.
"I've only played a couple of four-day games here in the past and I don't
really tend to bowl too wide. I'm usually down the middle of the wicket or
the best part of the wicket, so I just rely more on changes of pace and a
wrong'un more than anything."