Australian one-day star prepares for Steelbacks debut against Glamorgan
Former Australian Twenty-20 cricket captain Cameron White is set to make his debut for Northamptonshire Steelbacks on Thursday (June 14) against Glamorgan in the Friends Life T-20 competition.
The 29 year old arrived at Northampton today for his second spell in the English version of the short-format tournament. White spent two seasons at Somerset in 2006 and 2007. More recently he has appeared in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers.
On joining Northants, White said 'Obviously I'm very excited and looking forward to the next month. I've been getting to know the boys here and can't wait to get started. It seems as though we have a fair squad together so hopefully we can get off to a good start and from there push on towards the finals.
'Twenty-20 seems to be growing legs all the time, getting bigger and bigger. Hopefully this tournament will be no different over the next three weeks. I think it's always evolving. Players are coming out with new skills all the time so no doubt they'll be on show over the next month or so'.
Steelbacks' skipper Andrew Hall said 'I'm really excited about the fact we've got someone like Cameron in to play a big part in our T-20 campaign.
'We've had a look at the role he plays. He's one of the leading scorers in the IPL. He's a power hitter. He can clear the boundary, he can put teams under pressure and he can put your team in a winning position. And I think that's something we haven't had in the past in a batter. We've always seemed to get someone in who's an all-rounder or a bowler. Looking at that I think he's going to play a vital role because of the fact he is that power hitter who can take games away from the opposition'.
The Twenty-20 World Cup takes place in Sri Lanka later this year, but White is cool about whether the English domestic campaign will help him for Australia.
'You have to get selected first, so hopefully it can help me to do that. But I'll really look forward to playing here. Hopefully I can do well and help out the (Northamptonshire) team more importantly, and everyone enjoys their time'.
While Northants start their campaign on Thursday, Essex Eagles begin a day earlier (Wednesday June 13) against the Surrey Lions at the Oval. Their overseas star is New Zealand fast bowler James Franklin.
The Eagles hoped to have Australian paceman Peter Siddle as well, but he was forced to withdraw from the competition after suffering a back problem during the Aussies' tour of the West Indies earlier this year.
Friends Life T20 Competition
Mid/Wales/West group - Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, Somerset, Warwickshire, Worcestershire
South group - ESSEX, Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex.