Foot problem gives White Christmas break

Cameron White has conceded he has little chance of playing for Australia this summer after breaking a bone in his right foot. White was due to have surgery on Monday and said he was hoping to be back in action by the time Victoria defend their Twenty20 title after Christmas.

He said he had been playing with a stress fracture in the foot since the start of the season but a collision with Lee Carseldine during Friday's FR Cup loss to Queensland led to the full break. "Obviously, I knew it already had a little crack in it, had an X-ray a couple of weeks ago [which showed] a little crack, it's been there for the past couple of months," White told the Sunday Age.

"I knew the risks and instead of cracking it snapped all the way through, I'm assuming. Operation on Monday, pin put in it, six weeks out, hopefully back for Twenty20 just after Christmas. I wouldn't have thought it gives me too much hope [to play for Australia this summer]. I don't know, we'll just worry about getting it right and playing for the Bushrangers again."

Although in a typical year a lay-off until early January would all but ruin White's chances of a national call-up, this summer's unusual schedule might leave the door open for him to play in the tri-series. Australia's ODIs against India and Sri Lanka start in February and the series will conclude in early March.