CAMERON White, 34, laughed a couple weeks ago when asked about a re-call to Australia’s one-day team.

He’s not laughing now.

Neither is out-of-favour allrounder Glenn Maxwell.

Cricket Australia confirmed on Thursday afternoon White has been re-called to Australia’s ODI squad for the five-match series against England, beginning on Sunday at the MCG, replacing injured batsman Chris Lynn.

White’s re-call comes almost three years since his last ODI appearance against England on January 23, 2015.

It will be just his second ODI appearance since April 9, 2011.

The selection bombshell comes as Aussie selectors overlooked Maxwell when the 14-man squad was announced last week before Aussie captain Steve Smith publicly criticised Maxwell’s training standards.

The selection snub set cricket commentators into a spin.

Aussie legend Shane Warne told Channel 9 Maxwell has been overlooked recently because an apparent weakness when facing spells of short-ball bouncers has been exposed by rival bowlers recently.

Aussie Test greats Michael Slater and Rodney Hogg both suggested there must be more to Maxwell’s squad omission.

Slater said he couldn’t help but feel Maxwell hasn’t been gelling with his Aussie ODI teammates.

Hogg gave voice to a conspiracy that Maxwell is out-of-favour because he is not among Smith’s mates in the squad.

The conspiracy theories aren’t going to die away any time soon, following the decision to pick White ahead of his fellow Victorian teammate.

White sits second on the list of Big Bash run scorers this season with scores of 68 not out, 35 not out, 49 not out, 3, 51 and 79 not out.

Not even he saw this coming.

“I think if I was going to get picked I probably would have been picked in the past couple of years, I would have thought, with my white-ball form,” he said recently.

“There’s always hope but I don’t think so.”

Maxwell, meanwhile, responded to Smith’s public comments while playing for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash, saying he would address Smith personally — rather than let the drama unfold in the public spotlight.

“I’ll address (those comments) with Steven personally, I’ll have a chat with him,” Maxwell said.

“I know what it’s like to say things in the media. I’m sure there were only good intentions behind it.

“He’s only trying to get the best out of me as the Australian skipper.

“There’s not much you can say. I’ve got to listen to him and I’ll be doing my best to get on his right side and do everything I can to play for Australia.”

It might not be so easy for him to hold his tongue after this latest set back.

He won’t be the only one.

A number of Aussie cricket commentators were stunned at how far Maxwell appears to have dropped in the eyes of selectors.

Victorian coach Andrew McDonald described the selectors’ decision as a “kick in the backside” for Maxwell.

Cameron White replacing Chris Lynn in the ODI squad is a great selection. At one stage, he was the most destructive short format player in the world, and deserves another crack. Worrying signs for Glenn Maxwell. Reward performance regardless of age. — Theo Doropoulos (@TheoDrop) January 11, 2018