Mike Whitney facts for kids
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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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 12 December 2005
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Michael Roy Whitney (born on February 24, 1959) is a famous Australian who used to play cricket. He was a fast bowler for Australia in 12 Test matches and 38 One Day Internationals between 1981 and 1993. After his cricket career, he became a well-known television presenter.
Contents
Cricket Career Highlights
Mike Whitney grew up in Matraville, a suburb of Sydney. He started playing cricket at a young age. He played for his school and a junior cricket club. Later, he joined the Randwick Cricket Club and played there for many years.
Playing for New South Wales
Whitney played 94 first-class matches for the New South Wales state team. He played from 1980 to 1994. He was one of only three fast bowlers to take over 300 wickets for New South Wales. Wickets are how many batters a bowler gets out. He helped his team win the Sheffield Shield competition four times. This is a major cricket tournament in Australia.
International Debut and Success
Mike Whitney's first Test match for Australia happened in a special way. He was in England playing club cricket in 1981. When two Australian bowlers got injured, he was called up to play for the national team. This was unusual because he wasn't originally part of the touring squad.
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 one innings. This amazing performance earned him the "Man of the Match" award. He also took 7 wickets in a match against the West Indies in 1989.
Whitney also played in 38 One Day Internationals (ODIs). He was Australia's top wicket-taker in the 1992 World Cup. He was also the most economical bowler, meaning he gave away the fewest runs.
Famous Batting Moment
Even though he was known as a bowler, Mike Whitney had a memorable moment as a batsman. In 1987, during a Test match against New Zealand, he was the last batsman. He managed to stay at the crease for 18 balls against a very tough bowler, Sir Richard Hadlee. This helped Australia get a draw in the match. Australia won that series, which was a big win for their captain, Allan Border.
In January 2024, Mike Whitney was honored by being added to the New South Wales Cricket Hall of Fame.
Television Career
After he stopped playing cricket in 1994, Mike Whitney started a new career in television. He worked in TV until he retired in 2022.
Hosting Popular Shows
In 1995, he joined the Seven Network and began hosting Sydney Weekender. This show explores different places and activities around Sydney. He hosted it for nearly 30 years.
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. This show was popular in Australia and other countries like 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, it was announced that Mike Whitney would leave Sydney Weekender.
Books by Mike Whitney
Mike Whitney has written two books about his life and experiences.
- Quick Whit: The Mike Whitney Story (1993) is a book of his memories.
- Whiticisms (1996) shares stories from his time playing cricket and his travels.
Mike Whitney Band
From 2007 to 2019, Mike Whitney was part of a music group called The Mike Whitney Band. They mostly played cover songs (songs originally by other artists) at venues around Sydney and other parts of Australia. Mike Whitney sang lead vocals and played the tambourine for the band.
The band played its last show in June 2019. Now, Whitney plays with a new band called Oz Icons. He performs with Wayne "Junior" Pearce, and sometimes other famous people like Eric "Guru" Grothe and Angry Anderson join them on stage.
