Mike Whitney facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Michael Roy Whitney
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| Born | 24 February 1959 Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm fast medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 313) | 13 August 1981 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 26 December 1992 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 76) | 17 March 1983 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 10 January 1993 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980/81–1993/94 | New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981 | Gloucestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 12 December 2005
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Michael Roy Whitney, born on February 24, 1959, is a well-known Australian TV star and a former cricket player. He played in 12 Test matches and 38 One Day International games for Australia between 1981 and 1993. After his cricket career, he became a popular television presenter.
Contents
Mike Whitney's Cricket Journey
Early Days and Club Cricket
Mike Whitney grew up in Matraville, a suburb in Sydney. He started playing cricket at Matraville Public School. He also played for South Sydney Boys High and the Botany United Junior Cricket Club. For his senior club cricket, he played for the Randwick Cricket Club from 1976 to 1994. Since 2001, he has been the President of the Randwick Petersham Cricket Club.
Playing for New South Wales
Whitney played 94 first-class matches for the New South Wales (NSW) from 1980 to 1994. He was one of only three fast bowlers to take over 300 first-class wickets for NSW. The other two were Geoff Lawson and Trent Copeland. He was named NSW Cricketer of the Year in 1988–89. He was also part of four teams that won the Sheffield Shield, a major Australian cricket competition. In five Sheffield Shield Finals, he took 25 wickets.
International Debut and Highlights
Mike Whitney's first Test match for Australia happened in a special way. Australia was touring England in 1981. Whitney was already in England playing club cricket for Fleetwood and some County Cricket for Gloucestershire. When two Australian players, Rodney Hogg and Geoff Lawson, got injured, Whitney was chosen to play in the last two Tests of the tour. He was the first Australian Test cricketer to be picked this way.
He played 10 more Test matches between 1987 and 1993. His best game was in 1992 against India in Perth. He took 11 wickets in that match, including 7 wickets for only 27 runs in the second innings. He was named "Man of the Match" for his amazing performance. Whitney also took 7 wickets for 89 runs against the West Indies in Adelaide in 1989. He was part of the Australian team that toured the West Indies in 1991 and Sri Lanka in 1992.
One Day Internationals and Memorable Moments
Whitney played in 38 One Day International (ODI) matches. He was Australia's top wicket-taker and most economical bowler in the 1992 World Cup. He was known for not being a very good batsman. However, in 1987, during a Test match against New Zealand, he showed great determination. Batting at number 11, he faced 18 balls from the famous bowler Sir Richard Hadlee. His effort helped Australia get a draw in the match. This draw helped Australia win the series 1–0 and get back the Trans-Tasman Trophy. It was also Allan Border's first series win as Australia's captain.
Mike Whitney is a Life Member of Cricket New South Wales and the Randwick Petersham Cricket Club. On January 4, 2024, he was added to the New South Wales Cricket Hall of Fame.
Mike Whitney on Television
After finishing his cricket career, Mike Whitney started working in television in 1994. He retired from TV in 2022. In 1994, he hosted a show called Great Ideas for the ABC. In 1995, he joined the Seven Network and began hosting Sydney Weekender.
From 1995 to 1996, he was the referee on the Australian version of the TV game show Gladiators. He also hosted Who Dares Wins from 1996 to 1998 with Tania Zaetta. This show was made in Australia and was also popular in India. In 2007, Whitney hosted Last Chance Learners. He also worked as a reporter for the Seven Network at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.
In January 2022, the Seven Network announced that Mike Whitney would leave Sydney Weekender. He had presented the show for almost 30 years. Former athlete and Seven News sports reporter Matt Shirvington took over his role.
Books by Mike Whitney
Mike Whitney has written two books. His first book was a memoir called Quick Whit: The Mike Whitney Story (1993). A memoir is a book where someone tells stories from their own life. His second book, Whiticisms (1996), shared stories from his cricket days and his travels.
The Mike Whitney Band
From 2007 to 2019, Mike Whitney toured with his cover group called The Mike Whitney Band. They mostly played shows around Sydney. They also performed in clubs and pubs across Australia. In the band, Whitney played the tambourine and sang the main vocals. The band played its last show in June 2019. Now, Whitney plays with a new band called Oz Icons with Wayne "Junior" Pearce. Sometimes, other famous people like Eric "Guru" Grothe and Angry Anderson have joined them on stage.
