Cricket Cameron White Twenty20 Photos by Joseph Feil

White takes us through a typical T20 training day, whatever that might be ... 

Love it for its thrill-a-minute nature, or loathe it for the same reason, it appears Twenty20 is here to stay. Indeed, the more of it that’s played, the stronger the cricketing world’s craving for this shortened form of the game: be it from a financially satisfied player base’s standpoint, that of the owners of newly created franchises, TV execs, or fans young and old – particularly young.

Despite hitting our shores the best part of a decade ago, T20 is still very much an untamed, always-changing beast, suited to only the most agile, attacking and sharp-focussed of today’s elite and emerging talent. Cameron White, 29, of the Melbourne Stars’ Big Bash League troupe, enters this year’s domestic campaign having belted 479 runs for the Deccan Chargers in the most recent Indian Premier League at an average of 43. Australian cricket fans have also been enjoying his handy spin bowling since his 2008 Test debut, three years after his initial international ODI appearance.

In these pages, White takes us through a typical T20 training day, whatever that might be ...

CONSTANT CHANGE

“As the game of Twenty20 has evolved and players’ skills have improved, bowlers have had to think up new deliveries. It’s the same for batsmen, who’ve had to adjust to these new deliveries and work out how to up the scoring rate – mostly using new and clever shots. I think the shorter game is always finding ways to improve itself.”

NO TIME TO WASTE

“These days, players are swapping and changing between the various formats of the game all the time. This year, for example, a player in the Sheffield Shield might be playing four-day cricket, then he’ll find himself having only a seven-to-nine day break between the end of his Shield match and his next Twenty20 Big Bash game. It’s a case of preparing within whatever window of time you’ve been presented with.”