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Cameron White is determined to make the most of his latest opportunity with the Australian one-day team after being given a firm role in the side for perhaps the first time in his international career.
The Victorian has been identified by skipper Ricky Ponting as first choice to take over the spinners position from the recently retired Brad Hogg.
And White is under no illusions it will be his leg-break bowling — and not big hitting — that will decide his fate with the national team.
“I think my avenue to stay in the side is to probably bowl well more so than my batting,” said White, who has taken just four wickets at the unflattering average of 58.25 from 18 ODI games heading in to game three of Australia’s five-match one-day series against the West Indies tomorrow (tonight 2330 AEST).
“Obviously you’ve got to bat well as well, but bowling well is going to give me the best chance to stay in the team, and hopefully cement a spot at some stage.
“I have been spending a lot more time on my bowling … just trying to work out what action and run up suits me best and this one seems to be working okay at the moment.”
Just how White fits into the national set-up has often been a matter for debate given his enormous power with the bat and inconsistency with the ball.
Before White made his ODI debut in 2005, late Victorian coach David Hookes said he believed the state skipper’s best chance of representing Australia was as a top-six batsman.
In 18 one-dayers, the 24-year-old has bowled just 35 overs, and has yet to bowl the full compliment of 10 overs in a match.
The six he sent down against the West Indies in game one last Tuesday was the most he has ever bowled in a single ODI.
He was again unused in the second match of the series in Grenada — after smacking an unbeaten 40 and then taking a fine catch at first slip — with Ponting preferring the part-time spin of Michael Clarke, who took a game-best 3-26 from six overs.
The skipper has already stated how he will be looking more and more to the bowling of Clarke and Andrew Symonds to provide spinning overs for Australia in both Test and limited overs cricket.
Both batsmen, though, have struggled with back injuries in recent times, which may yet restrict their ability to bowl in the future.
Clarke certainly doesn’t want to be lumped with the extra responsibility of being Australia’s No.1 spinning option.
But with the likes of White and Beau Casson, who made his Test debut earlier this month, the vice-captain remains confident he won’t have to carry an inordinate high load following the retirements of Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill and Hogg over the past 18 months.
“We’re still in very good shape with spinners,” said Clarke.
“It’s just a matter of giving guys an opportunity and letting them spend some time in the Test arena, in the one-day arena, and getting used to their teammates.”
White, though, will continue to be a big target for opposition batsman until he truly proves himself as a frontline spinner at the international level.
“He seems like a bowler who you can pick off,” said the explosive opener and Windies skipper Chris Gayle.
“He’s not a bad player, he’s a good all-round player and he can hit the ball a long way.
“But he is a bowler who you can look to score off and I wouldn’t say he’s a strike bowler.”
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