Flat White: Veteran's BBL future unclear

KFC BBL champions Melbourne Renegades have all but confirmed Cameron White won’t be at the club next season, a day after they pulled off a sensational coup with the signing of star batsman Shaun Marsh.

White will be 36 by the time BBL|09 gets underway and Australia’s former T20 skipper faces an uncertain future heading into what would be his 20th season at domestic level.

The fifth-highest run scorer in Big Bash history, White’s contract at Victoria also expires at the end of this current season, with a call on his future at the Vics expected later this year.

It is understood White, currently playing in Victoria’s JLT Sheffield Shield game in Sydney, will consider his BBL options later this week.

Renegades CEO Stuart Coventry said while the club had not yet finalised its contract list for its title defence, the veteran is unlikely to be a part of it.

"At this stage, he probably won’t be in the mix for us for a playing contract," Coventry told RSN.

"But you never know what might transpire in the next couple of weeks."

Coventry added he was confident White would attract interest from other BBL clubs.

"Cam’s a terrific player, everyone’s got great admiration for Cam and he’s played his role extremely well in certain matches," he said. "Everyone was glad for Cam that he finally got his BBL title.

"There’s no doubt a terrific player like Cam is in the market looking at his options at the moment."

Speaking after the Renegades’ stunning victory in the BBL final last month, White said he wants to play on.

"I’m hopeful of playing next year," he told News Corp.

"I’m keen to keep playing, so I’ve just got to find a contract somewhere."

White played 11 of 16 games for this Renegades in BBL|08, averaging 18 with a top score of 40. He was one of several Renegades batsmen to misfire on a difficult batting surface at Marvel Stadium, the club posting just three individual half-centuries for the tournament.

White has played for multiple T20 franchises in India, England and in the Big Bash, scoring more than 5000 runs from 234 matches around the world at a strike rate of 126.

He moved to the Renegades in BBL|05 after his shock axing from the Melbourne Stars, who he’d captained to the semi-finals the previous season.

After luring Marsh east from the Perth Scorchers to join a star-studded top order led by skipper Aaron Finch and Test opener Marcus Harris, Coventry’s next task is to secure another international player to join Afghan allrounder Mohammad Nabi, who is already signed on for BBL|09.

White has averaged 34 from eight Shield matches this season, with a century and two fifties, and was a key part of their JLT One-Day Cup title win at the start of the summer, including a top-score of 88 in the final.

The Vics have shown a willingness to move on senior players in recent years, axing veteran spinner Fawad Ahmed and White’s Renegades teammate Dan Christian from their contract list last season. But they’ve also been willing to pick veterans over younger alternatives; Fawad, who turned 37 in February, and 33-year-old quick Andrew Fekete have both played in the Shield as well as in their JLT Cup side this season.