Picture by Paul Kane/Getty Images. Sam Whiteman in Sheffield Shield action for Western Australia.
New Yorkshire signing Sam Whiteman is confident that he will be arriving at Headingley ahead of the new summer with his game in good order.
The Doncaster-born Australian has consistently racked up the runs for his state side Western Australia in recent seasons, helping them win trophy after trophy.
A wicketkeeper-batter in the early stages of his career, the left-hander has not kept in a professional match since the start of 2019 due to issues with his finger.
But that has not prevented him from excelling with the bat.
Whiteman is closing in on 7,000 career first-class runs and 10,000 runs across all formats.
Since he last kept, playing as a specialist batter, Whiteman has scored 15 hundreds across both first-class and List A cricket for WA.
“I feel like I’m going ok,” he said. “I’m 33 now, nearly 34, and I feel like it’s a stage where you should be in your prime as a batsman.
Picture by Paul Kane/Getty Images. Sam Whiteman will arrive at Headingley at the end of the Australian domestic season in March.
“But I’m always trying to learn and be better in every game that I play. And I think I’ll have learnt a lot from the last time I played county cricket (Northamptonshire, 2023).
“It’s clearly a different game, Sheffield Shield to county cricket. To have experience of those conditions is valuable, and I feel like I’ll be a better player for having had that experience in the past.
“It’s not just the conditions, it’s the bowlers as well. Without perhaps having the raw pace, they’re skilful and really good at what they do.
“And I guess the other challenge is the amount of cricket. You’re playing pretty much every week. So having to be adaptable is a challenge I’m looking forward to.”
Whiteman, who is his state’s captain, has been opening the batting for WA in the Sheffield Shield, but he is more than happy to bat a touch further down Yorkshire’s order in the Rothesay County Championship if required.
“For the last six or seven years I’ve opened,” he continued. “But when I was at Northampton, I did a fair chunk at three. I started my career as a wicketkeeper batting at six or seven, so I’m pretty flexible.
“Ideally, I’d be in the top three in the Championship. But we’ll see.”
Picture by Dylan Burns/Getty Images. Sam Whiteman celebrates a century for WA.
Whiteman is delighted to have signed for Yorkshire and, after completing the domestic summer in Australia, will head over to Leeds in March ahead of the opening Championship game at Glamorgan on April 3.
“Ever since I started playing professionally, I always sort of knew that I wanted to utilise my English passport at some stage,” he said. “It was just about getting the timing right.
“Over the last six or eight months, it’s really felt like the timing is right now. So I’m pretty excited.
“Now that it’s all been announced, it’s a bit more real, and April will come around pretty quickly. It’s been a big decision, but I can’t wait.”
And was that big decision made easier by the fact that Yorkshire came calling, a county with whom he has an emotional tie?
“Yeah, definitely,” he continued. “It absolutely made it easier. My manager put some feelers out, and as soon as Yorkshire were keen, it was a pretty good sign for me.
“I followed along last season with the results, and it seemed like a good challenge in the Championship, fighting hard and staying up. And the One-Day Cup as well, making the semi-finals was an encouraging sign for us moving forwards.
Picture by James Worsfold/Getty Images. Sam Whiteman has tasted T20 success in Perth Scorchers colours.
“There’s a nice mix of players in the squad, some experience and plenty of good, young players coming through. Hopefully I can add a bit more experience alongside someone like Adam Lyth and those other guys.”
Whiteman’s status as a local player with Yorkshire means he will have to play as an overseas for Western Australia, something the state are happy for him to do.
“I will finish the current season with WA, and then from April I’ll be overseas,” he explained. “I’ve spoken to WA about it, and they’ve been great and very accommodating. So I’ll come back next season and play for them again.
“For me, it’s great that I can play cricket all year. You can only play the game for so long, so it’s something that I’m keen to do.”
A 10-time trophy winner with WA and Perth Scorchers, the latter in T20 cricket, Whiteman’s big-game knowledge will be crucial to the White Rose alongside his runs.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have been a part of some very good teams,” he said. “So, yeah, I can pass on some of that experience.
“I think a fair bit of that success comes down to the culture and the environment you create, and hopefully I can add a bit of value there.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Sam Whiteman spoke to former Northamptonshire team-mate Jack White about his move to Headingley.
“Winning trophies is an amazing feeling, and I’m confident we can do it over there at Yorkshire in the next few years.”
In terms of his wicketkeeping situation, Whiteman said: “I’m fortunate that I’ve probably played 50 first-class games as a wicketkeeper, but I had a few finger injuries which sort of pushed that back.
“I could definitely chuck on a set of gloves and do a job, but my priority is batting and I love that. It’s definitely a useful tool to have a set of gloves in your bag just in case.”
As well as playing for Northamptonshire, where he was a team-mate of Jack White’s, Whiteman has previously played league cricket in both Surrey and Sussex but never Yorkshire, despite his roots.
He has, however, been back to Doncaster plenty of times on family holidays, and his father and grandmother still live in the city.
He also has family in Preston, but the killer question, is Sam a Doncaster Rovers fan?
“My dad certainly is,” he laughed. “So pretty much every Christmas, my kids get the Donny shirt.
Picture by Jason McCawley/Getty Images. Sam Whiteman will link up with another former WA and Perth Scorchers team-mate, AJ Tye, this summer. Tye has signed a Vitality Blast only contract with Yorkshire for 2026 and 2027.
“I can’t wait to get back. Doncaster’s about an hour from Leeds, so it will be good to nip over there whenever I can.”
Whiteman wasn’t involved in the most recent Big Bash competition so has had “about a month off”.
“That’s not something you usually want to be doing through the heart of a summer,” he added. “But knowing what I’ve got coming up – four Shield games, some one-dayers and a full season over in England – it’s been nice to put the tools down and freshen up a bit.”
The Sheffield Shield resumes next week, with the season finishing on March 30 should WA reach the final. If they don’t – and they currently sit bottom of the table – they will finish on March 17.
