Guy Whittall: 12 lesser known facts about the all rounder from Chipunga

Guy James Whittall, born September 5, 1972 was a Zimbabwean utility player, handy with the bat, accurate with the ball, and excellent on the field. Whittall featured in 147 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) amassing 2,705 runs at a below par-average of 22.54 apart from picking 88 wickets. His return of 2,207 runs at 29.42 from 46 Tests was never among the greatest, but he was aggressive in his approach. Ankit Banerjee tries to highlight of his CV in bullet points.

1.  Lacerated fortunes

Whittall was unlucky with injuries, had freakish calf and niggling knee injuries which cut short his international stint.

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2.  Golden era

Zimbabwe may be easy pushovers today but that was not the case with them during the 80s and 90s. They had riches like the Flower brothers (Andy and Grant), Neil Johnson, Murray Goodwin, the Strang brothers (Paul and Bryan), Heath Streak, Ray Price and our protagonist Guy Whittall.

3.  Finally

Riding on the back of Guy Whittall’s unbeaten 113, Zimbabwe managed to get off the mark in Test cricket with a win against Pakistan in 1995.

4.  Idols

Guy Whittall idolised big-hitters and seam bowlers Peter Rawson and Iain Butchart.

5.  Rugby and Hockey

Pint-sized Whittall also had a heart for rugby and hockey. He represented Falcon College both sports.

6.  Croc-files

In 2013 Whittall once woke up with an eight-foot crocodile under his bed in his Humani Lodge; the animal had apparently spent the night there.

7.  Debut double

His career was in a tizzy those days he had to struggle to survive. As a last resort he was pushed up to No. 4 in 1997 against the Kiwis; he scored his 203 not out.

8.  Flower loss

When Andy Flower was sacked as captain and replaced by Streak, Flower refused to act as his deputy. Whittall was appointed vice-captain.

9.  Morals

As a captain a very unusual side to Whittall came to the fore when he refused to play a match on moral grounds. Zimbabwe Cricket Union claimed that the matter was merely a misunderstanding and held discussions with Whittall after the match, who did not fully accept that view but agreed to play in the next Test.

10.  Hash Nash

On 6th March, 1998 against New Zealand at Napier, Whittall was at the receiving end of an event that did not really speak highly of Dion Nash’s sportsmanship. Nash attempted to impede Whittall from completing a second run by bumping him with his shoulder, running out Mpumelelo Mbangwa. Whittall was left stranded on 188.

11.  The Andy in the family

Andy Whittall, six months younger to Guy, was a cousin. An alumnus of Falcon College, Trinity College, Cambridge, Andy played 62 ODIs and 10 Tests, often alongside Guy. He is usually remembered as one of the best fielders in the history of Zimbabwe cricket, which is saying something.

12.  The hundreds guy

Whittall was not an outstanding batsman, but once he got going, it was extremely difficult to get him out. His four hundreds amounted to 113 not out, 203 not out, 188 not out and 119 — in other words, 623 runs at an average of 623.00 — the highest in the history of the sport with a 500-run cut-off. Bangladesh prodigy Mominul Haque comes a distant second with 538.00.

(A cricket geek to the tee, Ankit Banerjee smokes and snorts it all day long. The romance with the sport incepted since the 1996 World Cup semi-final. He is a winner of the 2011 edition of the All-India college cricket quiz.)