Grammar teacher is a master of switch-hit

Andrew White's profile in the ICC handbook for the World Cup says that the Ireland batsman can write with both hands. The skill definitely sums up the versatility of the country's second most capped player.

White is one of the only two members in the squad who does not carry the professional cricketers' tag and teaches English grammar in Grosvenor School to earn a living. "It was a conscious choice looking at the future after cricket," said White, who took up the job in September 2007.

"It was a difficult decision when the school post came up. I had to somewhere draw a line. Now, I try to combine both. My day starts at 7am and ends well after 8pm," said the Northamptonshire player, who scored the winning runs in Ireland's victory over West Indies in 2004. Since then, White has been an integral part of the squad and has a role of a floater in the middle order given his penchant for the long handle and, like Kevin Pietersen, the right-handed batsman has mastered the switch-hit.

"Batting has changed with the advent of Twenty20. If you practice hard then any shot is possible. I use it as a last resort but it definitely stays as an option," White said when asked about his liking for that particular shot.