Victoria leg-spinner Bryce McGain isn’t holding his breath for another crack at Test cricket, but he does have some suggestions for Australia’s selectors.
McGain, who took 0-149 in his Test debut against South Africa in Cape Town seven months ago, is focused on the Big V this summer.
And the leggie says the focus of Australian selectors should also be on the Bushrangers, nominating Cameron White as the Australian skipper for the World Twenty20 event in the West Indies in May 2010.
He added Victoria’s Brad Hodge, overlooked for Australia’s unsuccessful World T20 campaign in England this year, is a world-beater in the ultra-short version of the game.
Test and one-day skipper Ricky Ponting has retired from T20 Internationals and his deputy Michael Clarke is skipping the national side’s one-day series in India in October/November because of a back injury.
McGain says the time is right for selectors to appoint White, 26, as Australia’s T20 skipper.
“Cameron White is probably one of the best Twenty20 players in the world,” McGain told AAP.
“He has captained Victoria for the past four years to (T20) finals. We’ve won three.
“He’s a big part of that. His ability to hit over the top (and) his fielding is fantastic.”
Asked if White should fill the vacancy left by Ponting as skipper of Australia’s T20 side, McGain said: “Absolutely. No question at all.
“It would be a great selection for the future. He has got great leadership qualities so I would absolutely endorse that,” McGain said.
“He has been one of the best performers for Australia in Twenty20 even though he has had limited opportunities at that level (averaging 41.40 with the bat in eight internationals).
“His captaincy is very astute. He is tactically very smart in all forms of the game but especially Twenty20 because he has got a lot of experience.”
White can boast a total of 48 T20 games for Victoria, Australia, Australia A, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Somerset.
While White has been starring with the bat for Australia’s one-day side in the past two months, Hodge sent selectors another reminder on Tuesday of his ability with an unbeaten 44 against Sri Lanka’s Wayamba.
Hodge helped steer Victoria into the last eight of the Champions League T20 in India.
“His record is second to none. It’s comparable to the world’s best in Twenty20 cricket,” McGain said of Hodge.
“There’s no better opening bat than he. He has proven to be the best opening bat in Australian domestic cricket.
“It’s a different game and the experience lies with the domestic players who have been doing it for a number of years.
“So it (including Hodge) would make a bit more sense from the Australian selectors going into that West Indies series.”
Hodge has amassed 70 T20 caps at state and international level, bettered by only four players worldwide including Australia’s David Hussey (80).
McGain, 37, says he’ll be thinking only of doing a great job for Sheffield Shield champions Victoria this summer.
“I’m not really holding my breath for the other things. That will be a great outcome if it does happen down the track,” he said.
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