Shane's Rivals Ride Off Into The Somerset
Sun Herald
Sunday January 15, 2006
THE two young spin bowlers who could lose the most if Shane Warne returns to limited-overs cricket have signed with the same England county club, where they will attempt to increase their value to the Australian team as the countdown for the World Cup in the West Indies next year begins.
Victorian captain and leg spinner Cameron White and promising South Australia off spinner Dan Cullen - both Cricket Australia-contracted players and roommates on the Australia A tour to Pakistan last year - will play with Somerset, where they are sure to get plenty of game time and chances to impress the selectors for inclusion in the World Cup team. Although they both accept that a Warne return could spell the end of their 2007 World Cup hopes, White sees it as a catalyst for him to become more of an all-rounder, while Cullen says he would be happy to bide his time for the benefit of the team."He's [Warne] obviously the best spinner the world's ever seen, so if he came back it would definitely benefit the Australian team," Cullen said. "But if he didn't come back it would give young blokes more of an opportunity. Either way, it's beneficial."Cullen is heading to England to gain more experience in different conditions. The 21-year-old said he was happy with his efforts this season after he was given rave reviews leading into the various domestic 2005/2006 competitions."It's been different to last year, for sure," he said. "Back then I didn't know what to expect. "This year a lot more has been expected of me and I've got more wickets, so it's been good."Warne's Victorian teammate White, who was in the initial 30-man squad for the 2003 World Cup but omitted when it was cut to 15, has had a haphazard ING Cup season. The 22-year-old is hoping to hone his batting skills in England in order to be regarded as a genuine all-rounder."It's very important for me to go over there because you play something like 16 four-day games, 35 one-dayers and Twenty20. It's like two seasons in one and in the past couple of years I haven't really played much cricket," White said."Warney played a game this season and I didn't bowl and just with the make-up of our side - with a lot of all-rounders - I haven't got to bowl much. Maybe I've bowled 20 or 25 overs in ING this season. "I'd love to go to the World Cup, but it's a long way away and I've got a lot of work to do on my game."If an opportunity comes up down the track, that would be great."I think that if Warney wants to play in the World Cup, he's the best in the world and there's no reason why he shouldn't. "He's the man."
© 2006 Sun Herald
