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James Whitaker (cricketer)

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James Whitaker
Personal information
Full name
John James Whitaker
Born (1962-05-05) 5 May 1962 (age 62)
Skipton, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RoleBatsman
International information
National side
Only Test (cap 524)12 December 1986 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 95)2 April 1987 v India
Last ODI7 April 1987 v Pakistan
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1983–1999Leicestershire
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 1 2 315 282
Runs scored 11 48 17,198 7,770
Batting average 11.00 48.00 38.56 32.37
100s/50s 0/0 0/0 38/80 6/47
Top score 11 44* 218 155
Balls bowled – – 178 26
Wickets – – 2 0
Bowling average – – 134.00 –
5 wickets in innings – – 0 –
10 wickets in match – – 0 –
Best bowling – – 1/29 –
Catches/stumpings 1/– 1/– 172/– 66/–
Source: Cricinfo, 1 January 2012

John James Whitaker (born 5 May 1962)[1] is an English former cricketer, who played in one Test and two ODIs for England in 1986–7.

Life and career

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Whitaker was educated at Uppingham School and spent his whole career with Leicestershire County Cricket Club, and captained them from 1996 until he retired in 1999. In 1986, Whitaker was the leading English batsman in the national batting averages with 1,526 runs at 66 apiece,[1] and was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1987.[2] He was selected to go on the 1986-87 Ashes tour. He started the tour well, scoring a hundred against South Australia in a tour match,[3] and played one Test in Adelaide when Ian Botham was out injured.[4] However, his form fell away sharply.[1] Whitaker also played two one-day internationals in 1987 for the England side which won the Sharjah Cup.

Whitaker was one of his county's most successful first-class captains, leading Leicestershire to their second County Championship in 1996, scoring 1046 runs at 58.11 that season,[5] and also making his highest first-class score, 218, that year, in a match against Yorkshire.[6] Whitaker also started the 1998 season, when Leicestershire also emerged as county champions, as captain, although he played little that season due to injury, the team being led on the field by Chris Lewis and Phil Simmons.

He later became the coach and director of cricket at the club, before leaving in 2005. On 18 January 2008, Geoff Miller took over from David Graveney as the national selector, heading up a four-man panel which included Peter Moores, Whitaker and Ashley Giles.[7] He was England's chairman of selectors from 2013 to 2018.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Bateman, Colin (1993). If The Cap Fits. Tony Williams Publications. p. 186. ISBN 1-869833-21-X.
  2. ^ "Wisden - James Whitaker". Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Full scorecard of South Australia vs England XI, Tour Match 1986-7". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Full scorecard of Australia vs England, 3rd Test 1986-7". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  5. ^ "County Championship Batting Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Yorkshire v Leicestershire at Bradford, 20-4 June 1996". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  7. ^ Graveney axed as England selector BBC News retrieved 18 January 2008
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