White looking to the future

Former Australian Test cricketer and national T20 captain Cameron White will skipper the Victorian Toyota Futures League side in their clash with Tasmania, which begins on Monday in Hobart.

White, who has represented Victoria in 236 matches, will play in the Futures League for the first time.

The 32-year-old will lead a side that features nine Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers, led by in-form batsmen Seb Gotch and Sam Harper.

Gotch, 22, struck the highest score in Premier Cricket this season, with 173 from 168 deliveries against Camberwell Magpies last Saturday. His 18-year-old teammate Harper smashed 91 from 60 balls.

Victorian chairman of selectors Andrew Lynch said that the duo reflects the next wave of Bushrangers batsmen.

"Gotch and Harper are two players who we have high hopes for the future," Lynch said.

"Hopefully they have both long careers for Victoria, beginning with making runs at this level and pushing for selection in the Bushrangers side."

Former Bushrangers skipper White was dropped last month after modest batting form during the domestic one-day competition, and was then also left out of the Sheffield Shield team. Victoria's most successful captain was also dropped late last season and did not play in the team that won the Shield final.

Victoria has made six changes from its side that drew with Western Australia in the opening round with White, Gotch, Harper, Ejaaz Alavi, Ben Ashkenazi and Matt Short replacing Fawad Ahmed, Travis Dean, David Hussey, David King, Chris Tremain and Eamonn Vines in the line-up.

"It's a good opportunity for White to have a couple of hits and push his claims for a spot in the Shield side again," Lynch said.

Victoria plays Tasmania from 10.30am on Monday at Kingston Twin Ovals.

Victorian Futures League squad:
Cameron White (capt), Ejaaz Alavi, Ben Ashkenazi, Aaron Ayre, Matthew Brown, Jackson Coleman, Seb Gotch, Sam Harper, Ian Holland, Jake Reed, Matthew Short, Ryan Sidebottom.