Whiteman's eyes on Baggy Green

Quick Single: Sydney-born Robson closes on England cap

Sam Whiteman, the man viewed by many shrewd observers to be Australia’s next long-term Test wicketkeeper-batsman, admits he could very easily be plying his highly specialised trade for England, the country of his birth.

Whiteman, who impressed in his recently completed first full Bupa Sheffield Shield season behind and in front of the stumps for Western Australia, was this week named in the provisional 21-man Australia A squad for the winter series to be played in Brisbane, Darwin and Townsville.

Even though Australian cricket is currently blessed with at least one world-class ‘keeper on the player roster at all six first-class teams, the 22-year-old’s talent, presence and work ethic have him earmarked for international honours.

Which is why it’s difficult to understand why the England talent spotters, never averse to luring players from beyond their own realm, didn’t dangle the bait given that Whiteman is technically one of their own.

Born in Yorkshire where his father still lives, Whiteman came to Australia at age three and settled with his family in the port city of Bunbury in WA, 175km south of Perth.

Having graduated from country cricket to first-grade club cricket while still in his early teens, he was awarded an Adam Gilchrist scholarship – available annually to talented youngsters who hail from regional Australia – under which he was able to play a season of league cricket in England in 2010.

From there, where he was based with Surrey Championship team Weybridge, he wangled his way through contacts into the Surrey second XI where he played a number of four-day and one-day games.

He was also Weybridge’s leading runs scorer for the summer with 572 at an average of 44.

But throughout his stint in the UK, nobody formally approached him to return to his roots and pursue his international ambitions in the land of his birth – even though Whiteman admits he would have been open to any such discussions had they arisen.

“When I was over there at (age) 18 and I wasn’t contracted here - if playing second XI there had led to something more, then who knows,” he told cricket.com.au.

“I might have jumped at it.

“But there wasn’t any real approaches, and I was looked at as more of a fill-in.

“It wasn’t like there were official trials for contracts or anything.”

Lest any England scouts be moved to track down Whiteman, who is currently on holidays in Central and North America before heading back to Yorkshire to catch up with family, and consider tabling a belated offer then they need not waste their energy.

That horse has long bolted, and with this week’s confirmation that he’s in the Australian selectors’ thoughts, Whiteman’s eyes are now firmly fixed on a baggy green – rather than a navy blue – international cap.

“My goal now is to play for Australia,” he said.

“I played eight (Shield) games the previous summer, so this one just completed was my first full season.

“In your first year you don’t know if you’re up to it but now that I’ve got a few scores on the board and had a full season I know that I can play at this level.

“I was happy, after my first year, but I was a bit nervous coming into the season just gone because everyone talks about second year blues.

“So to be honest, I didn’t have my hopes too high.

“I just wanted to try and cement my spot and, personally, I’ve been a bit lucky this year.

“The WACA pitch was really good all summer and I’ve come in to bat in some pretty good situations, so I can thank the top order for that.”

The fact that the national selectors have identified Whiteman as a gloveman of interest comes as no surprise to his WA coach Justin Langer, who admits he underestimated the left-hander’s batting capabilities when he took over the Warriors’ job three matches into the 2012-13 season.

At that stage, outgoing coach Lachlan Stevens had installed Whiteman as a top-order batsman in the under-performing Warriors’ line-up, which represented a significant investment in someone who began his grade cricket career batting at number 10 in the embryonic Mandurah-Rockingham first XI.

And while Whiteman has yet to translate that potential into a three-figure score in the four-day arena, Langer has seen enough in both his acumen and his attitude to suggest he has the ability with the bat that is expected of a modern-day international wicketkeeper.

“In the lead-up to me taking the (WA coaching) job, I thought that if Sam Whiteman was batting at number three for Western Australia then we must be in dire straits,” Langer said.

“My point being that I underestimated how good he was, and that Lachy (Stevens) obviously must have seen what a good player and a good person he is.

“Sam’s batting has come on. He’s a lot more consistent and he’s one of those wicketkeepers that you don’t notice which is always a good sign.

“He obviously has areas where he needs to improve but he’s a terrific kid -  he’s got a bit of charisma about him, he’s got a bit of cheekiness about him and he’s very, very well liked among our group.

“And he loves practice – particularly his batting, he loves practicing his batting so I think he’s on the right track and he’s doing really well.”

Indeed, while Langer claims to have no recollection of their first meeting both he and Whitman have trodden similar paths en route to their careers with WA.

Langer made his first-grade debut for Scarborough at age 15 and he clearly recalls facing his first delivery from Test seamer Terry Alderman while his “all-time hero” Kim Hughes was stationed behind him at first-slip.

Whiteman also entered first-grade ranks – against Scarborough – as a 15-year-old, and recalls turning around time and again during the course of his maiden innings to see Langer standing impassively at slip.

He admits that his batting needs continued work, and that he is unlikely to ever match the batting feats of his own boyhood idol, former WA and Australian ‘keeper Gilchrist to whom the fresh-faced, lean-limbed country boy bears a passing resemblance.

And who, as Whiteman happily acknowledges, has essentially redefined the job specification for any ‘keeper-batsman who has chosen to follow in his game-changing wake.

Though he makes no claims to emulating Gilchrist’s explosive batting prowess.

“Batting wise, my strength is probably my ability to bat time,” he said.

“I certainly wouldn’t class myself as one of the prettiest players to watch, but I just try and hang in there.

“It’s something that I’m always working on, my batting, and I know that technically I’ve still got a long way to go.

“But I’ve always been a ‘keeper.

“When I was younger, I always wanted to be in the game - as a typical kid you don’t want to miss out on anything and I guess ‘keeping meant I was always in the action.

“Plus you’ve got your mates fielding around you to chat to.

“So you can’t lose.”

Quick Single: Australia A squad announced