White calls time on captaincy career

One of Australia’s most decorated domestic captains Cameron White says he’s played his final match as skipper after leading Victoria to the Sheffield Shield title, suggesting Australia Test batsman Peter Handscomb is the “obvious choice” to be appointed to the role for next season.

Standing in for the second half of the season with regular skipper Matthew Wade away on Australia’s tour of India, White led the Bushrangers to their third consecutive Shield title and the fifth of his career in Alice Springs.

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Wade confirmed in January that he intends to leave Melbourne to head back to his native state of Tasmania for family reasons at the conclusion of the season.

And White, who has more Shield wins as captain than any other in the competition’s 124-year history, wants to “get back to enjoying playing” and believes Handscomb is the ideal candidate to take over the job full-time.

“I think that’s my time done with the captaincy,” the 33-year-old said after helping the Bushrangers to their 31st Shield crown at Traeger Park. “I can’t do it forever.

“It’s been a great honour to do it again this year and to cap it off with a Shield (title). I think it’s time for someone else to do it.

“I just want to get back to enjoying playing.

“I can always help out as well while I’m still around. There’s a lot of guys who can do the captaincy.

“Peter Handscomb is probably the number one cab off the rank I’d assume.

“I haven’t spoken to Pete about it and that’ll be up to (coach) Andrew McDonald and the Cricket Victoria board, but he would be the obvious choice.

“I’m always going to help out while I’m around, whether it’s captaincy (this year) or just trying to teach the young fellas how to play the game.

“I’m looking forward to doing that kind of role.”

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White’s decision to step away from the captaincy comes after an illustrious career at the helm of the Bushrangers.

Handed the job in 2003-04 as a 20-year-old, he became Victoria’s youngest-ever skipper and proceeded to lead the Bushrangers for nearly a decade. Only three captains have led their sides in more Shield games than White’s 76.

Wade replaced him as skipper in 2013-14 and took the side to the first two titles in their ‘three-peat’, before winning back his spot as Australia’s Test gloveman this summer.

Earmarked as a player with leadership potential, Handscomb has stood in as captain of Victoria six times in the Shield and the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup over the past two seasons. He also led Australia A during last winter’s Quadrangular series against India A and South Africa A.

Even if appointed, Handscomb would likely be absent for a good chunk of the Shield season having embedded himself at the No.5 spot in Australia’s middle-order.

The right-hander also made his one-day international debut this summer and has played in each of Australia’s last five 50-over matches.

Along with Wade, Marcus Stoinis has also been linked with a move interstate, with reports suggesting the allrounder could move back to his hometown Perth to play for Western Australia.

It comes after Glenn Maxwell sought a move from Victoria to NSW just weeks before the start of the start of October’s Matador Cup, but the shift was scuppered by the Cricket Australia - Australian Cricketers' Association Memorandum of Understanding.

With that MOU expiring in the coming months, players cannot sign new contracts with states or KFC Big Bash League clubs until a new one is agreed upon.

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White didn’t comment specifically on Stoinis or Maxwell, and while he accepts moving states is more common than it was in the past, he’s adamant Victoria’s winning culture won’t change because of it.

“It’s interesting and there’s been a lot spoken about it in the media,” he said.  “We understand in this day and age that there is movement (between) states, you have to respect that.

“I know the players that represent Victoria will represent the brand the way we play.

“If people move, they know how we play.

“I’m telling you the next lot of (players that) represent Victoria will play the same brand as what you’ve seen over the last five days.”

Most Sheffield Shield wins as captain

Cameron White (Victoria) – 38 wins

Stuart Law (Queensland) – 35

Les Favell (South Australia) - 30

Adam Voges (Western Australia) – 24

Vic Richardson (South Australia) – 23

Most Sheffield Shield matches as captain

Les Favell (South Australia) – 80 matches

David Hookes (South Australia) - 78

Dirk Welham (NSW, Queensland, Tasmania) - 77

Cameron White (Victoria) – 76

Jamie Siddons (South Australia, Victoria) - 74