CRAIG White is hoping Sri Lanka make the same mistake as Pakistan by targeting him as someone easily put off by sledging.

Yorkshire all-rounder White has been a revelation since being invited back into the England fold as a replacement for Andrew Flintoff during the one-day series in South Africa last winter and he has played all but three Tests since.

It is a far cry from the previous model when White 1994 was introduced into the international picture by then chairman of selectors Ray Illingworth.

Now White has an increased self-belief, and when Pakistan attempted to test that before Christmas by calling him a nightwatchman as he walked out to bat in the opening Test at Lahore he responded by hitting an international best 93.

''I think I'm much better able to deal with that sort of thing now than I was five years ago,'' he said.

''I had a few words in Pakistan with their players and I enjoy it it fires me up and gets the best out of me.

''When there are a few verbals flying around that's when I play at my best.

''I have never played Sri Lanka before, so I don't know if they're verbally aggressive on the pitch.

''I'm sure there will be a bit of chirping when they have men around the bat, but it will probably be hard to understand what they're saying anyway.''

Having played all his formative cricket in Australia after his family moved from Leeds when he was a youngster, White had to deal with sledging from an early age and he will be ready for plenty of it if he comes up against the Aussies in next summer's Ashes