The only thing that worries me about White is that he if he isn't hitting out he actually tends to be a bit slow. He doesn't rotate the strike as well as most of the other middle order bats around so if he gets a start and then gets out it could really cost the team.Don't wish to pump the guy up too much, but get the feeling White is on the way to becoming an all-time great ODI batsman.
Perfect combination of big hitting ability, and skill to bat like a true middle-order batsman. Played so many crucial roles over the past 12 months, taken the number three position, been the death-over slogger, guided Australia to victory on 3-4 occasions now.
Fast becoming a good candidate for future captaincy, one of the finest slip fieldsman in the world and he is still only 26. Now I’m pumping him up.
This is actually a reasonable point. Probably why he seems better suited to 5 than 4. Now that Clarke is starting to show that he can do the Hussey drop-and-run a little bit better than last year, White needs to do the same.The only thing that worries me about White is that he if he isn't hitting out he actually tends to be a bit slow. He doesn't rotate the strike as well as most of the other middle order bats around so if he gets a start and then gets out it could really cost the team.
RyderMcCullum
Ryder
Guptill
Taylor
Elliott
Styris
Vettori
Oram
Tuffey/Southee
McKay
Bond
Like that side so much more than the bits and pieces team we are fielding at the moment. Williamson to come into the side in the not too distant future too.
Southee is a promising bowler, but he's as expensive as anything in ODI cricket and is not particuarly incisive anyway. He's also a green-deck specialist - and you don't get many of those decks in ODI cricket. I'd probably stick with Tuffey if at all possible. Oram would be a decent bowling option if he could get on the park.Ryder
Guptill
Williamson
Taylor
Styris
Elliott
McCullum
Vettori
Mills
Southee
Bond
In the near future hopefully.
McCullum
Ryder
Guptill
Taylor
Elliott
Styris
Vettori
Oram
Tuffey/Southee
McKay
Bond
Like that side so much more than the bits and pieces team we are fielding at the moment. Williamson to come into the side in the not too distant future too.
A much better choice than Clarke IMO. No point having your best batsman (which Clarke IMO will be) burdened with the captaincy if he isn't actually a particularly good captain. White has "runs on the board" in that sense.Fast becoming a good candidate for future captaincy, one of the finest slip fieldsman in the world and he is still only 26. Now I’m pumping him up.
Would point out that the most recent three captains up to now weren't overly burdened by this. However it is a reasonable argument.A much better choice than Clarke IMO. No point having your best batsman (which Clarke IMO will be) burdened with the captaincy if he isn't actually a particularly good captain. White has "runs on the board" in that sense.
Mark Taylor wasn't the best batsman in his side though, at the time. At the very least, not a "standout".Would point out that the most recent three captains up to now weren't overly burdened by this. However it is a reasonable argument.
He'd have to be brought into the test team pretty soon to be next in line for the captaincy, wouldn't he?A much better choice than Clarke IMO. No point having your best batsman (which Clarke IMO will be) burdened with the captaincy if he isn't actually a particularly good captain. White has "runs on the board" in that sense.
I tend to agree with this, but there are arguments the other way as well. Firstly, it's never desirable for your captain's actual place in the team as a batsman/bowler to come under question so if someone like White, who may or may not be the best option for the Test team at any given time, was captain it could create a sticky situation should he lose form. At the very least you do want someone who has firmly cemented his place in the team to avoid this. There's also a lot to say for a captain who leads from the front and demands respect as a player, too - I personally find it a lot easier to be motivated by someone I look up to as a player.A much better choice than Clarke IMO. No point having your best batsman (which Clarke IMO will be) burdened with the captaincy if he isn't actually a particularly good captain. White has "runs on the board" in that sense.
He is 27White keeps impressing. He is not only putting runs on the board, he is putting them when it matters. That kind of maturity is priceless for someone at his age. His slip fielding and future potential as captain should put him in good stead for a future #6 spot. I almost hope North fails in NZ just to see how White goes.
I should have said "comparatively".He is 27
Boys generally become men by 27. I took exception at the superflous description "That kind of maturity is priceless for someone at his age".I should have said "comparatively".
Pretty much everyone bar Clarke and Watson are in their 30s in the Australian line-up, and even they're older than White.
If you look at the Australian line-up, bar Ponting and possibly Hussey, I don't see many who are much older who have played very important knocks. Clarke's played some but I wouldn't bet much money on him if the occasion arose tomorrow, for example. There is something about White that just keeps shining through. He has made runs in moments where his wicket could essentially hand over the match or swing the momentum a lot.Boys generally become men by 27. I took exception at the superflous description "That kind of maturity is priceless for someone at his age".
To be fair, Tuffey did have him plumb LBW early in his innings. In saying that, the bowling wasn't much chop afterwards, but that being given was pretty much our only chance of cutting down Aussies top order.Got thrown a lifeline by the Duckworth-Lewis, but unfortunately our bowling was rubbish too, except the usual suspects. How many long hops did we bowl to Ponting? Ridiculous.