With some much-needed runs and a personal record looming, Cameron White now has his sights on leading Victoria into the Sheffield Shield final.
White, whose batting form has been below-par all summer, scored 147 for his Melbourne club side Richmond against Prahran on Saturday.
White overcame a bizarre start to the match, in which play started on a pitch wrongly measured at two metres longer than it should have been, to address the issues which have plagued his season.
The 28-year-old’s national contract would appear in jeopardy after his difficult summer and losing the Australian Twenty20 captaincy.
But White’s timely return to form comes as he prepares to break Bill Lawry’s longstanding record for captaining Victoria on the most occasions in the Bushrangers’ Shield clash with South Australia starting on Monday at the MCG.
“It was just great to spend some time in the middle and the game obviously starts tomorrow, so it was good practice,” White said on Sunday ahead of his 57th first-class match leading Victoria.
“For whatever reason yesterday, it seemed to work out.
“It was nice to build an innings, and it just reminds you that you can still do it.”
Victoria are fourth on the Shield ladder.
But a big win against the Redbacks will give them huge momentum and Shield final destiny in their own hands going into the next match against second-placed Western Australia.
“We’re sitting not too far away in the Shield competition, so this is a big game and off to Perth after that, so really our next two games will determine whether we get into the final.
“It makes this game (against the Redbacks) even more crucial.
“We’ve got two more of our games at home too, so if we can win both of those, we’ll be pretty close to a Shield final berth.”
The Bushrangers are strengthened with the return of national representatives Peter Siddle and Aaron Finch.
Siddle returns from Test duties, while Finch is back after playing for Australia’s Twenty20 side in the series against India.
The Vics beat bottom side South Australia by 186 runs in their Shield match in Adelaide last week, further building their confidence.
