White 'shocked' at late call-up

A series of late-night and early-morning telephone calls didn't leave too many smiling faces among the Cricket Australia hierarchy over the past two days. But the one man to profit from Andrew Symonds' latest blunder was Cameron White, who was named as his replacement for the ICC World Twenty20 and flies out for London on Friday night.

"Obviously a bit of a shock to get a call this morning," White said in Melbourne on Friday. "It's been a bit of a rush since then, packing a few bags and things like that. What's happened has happened. It's pretty disappointing for the team and Andrew as a person and a mate. Hopefully we can move on."

White edged out his Victoria team-mate Brad Hodge for the late call-up but it could yet be a whirlwind trip. He will barely have time to make it through customs and to the Oval for Australia's first match against West Indies and, if Australia should fail to progress past the group stage, he could be on a plane home as early as Tuesday.

"I arrive in the country about an hour before the first game, so it'll be interesting if I get a call-up there," he said. "I feel as though I'm ready to play so if I get the opportunity hopefully I can make the most of it.

"Coming from the IPL, I didn't play much there but I had a good chance to train with some of the best players going around. I've done a fair bit over the last couple of weeks so I feel as though I'm ready to play."

White began training with the Victoria squad this week and was planning to relax with a few games of golf and as an AFL spectator over the next fortnight. He had already put behind him the disappointment of slipping out of Australia's squad over the past couple of months.

He was part of the limited-overs group in South Africa in March but was overlooked for Australia's series against Pakistan in the UAE and most disheartening was being omitted from the ICC World Twenty20 squad. White made his name as one of the world's best players in the shortest format in 2006 when he blasted a then-record 55-ball century for Somerset.

"I always thought I was around the mark with the Twenty20 stuff," he said. "I was always hopeful of originally getting picked in this squad when it was first announced. I was a little bit disappointed but you move on. I've moved on and hopefully I get another opportunity."