Veteran batsman Cameron White has been drafted into the One-Day International squad of Australia for five-match series against England, who says he was surprised with this call and never lost his hopes for an international call-up.

“I was very surprised this morning when (Australian chief selector) Trevor Hohns rang me,” said White. “In the back of my mind I never really gave up all hope. I’d like to think I can go into it not putting too much pressure on myself but I probably will …. (not knowing) how big of an opportunity it is and how long it’ll last.”

It has been a while since he last wore the national dress, which happened in January 2015 against England. However, shrugging off this fact, he wants to make most of this opportunity.

He added “It’s just going to be up to me to make the most of it. Hopefully, I can. Making a few runs in the Big Bash hasn’t hurt. Maybe it is a little ironic, (although) I’d like to think that my one-day cricket for Victoria hasn’t hurt my chances of getting this opportunity.”

His selection call stunned everyone, who thought Glen Maxwell will be the ideal replacement for injured Chris Lynn. Meanwhile, the top-order batsman may fill nom 4 shoes, as this is the lone vacant place in the squad.

Talking about the same, 88-ODI veteran quoted “I’ve got no idea (where I’ll bat), we’ve got a team meeting coming up shortly so I might get a bit more of an idea there. All I know so far is I’ve walked into the team hotel, grabbed a t-shirt and a cap and I’m speaking to you guys. I guess I’ll find out more in the next hour or so and the next couple of days.”

The first ODI will be played on January 14 in Melbourne.