Yorkshire CCC pace bowler Jack White keen for more T20 chances
AS entrances go, it was pretty special. With the fifth and sixth balls of his first over for Yorkshire in T20 cricket, Jack White took the wickets of Lyndon James and Jack Haynes, setting his side on their way to a nine-run win against Notts Outlaws and him personally towards career-best figures in the format of 4-33.
It was just White’s fifth T20 appearance, the other four coming for Northamptonshire, from whom he joined Yorkshire in November on a two-year deal.
To judge by his display at Trent Bridge on Wednesday, it will not be long before he adds more to that tally, the 33-year-old pace bowler also taking the wickets of Tom Moores and Conor McKerr as Yorkshire achieved their second straight victory in the Vitality Blast, a good fightback after they opened the competition with three straight defeats.
“I’d love to play more of it,” said White when asked by The Yorkshire Post if he desired more chances in 20-over cricket.
“I got in the T20 team last year at Northants and did all right, so, yeah, absolutely.
“I'd love to play all formats if possible, and I’d like to think I can offer control.
“I feel I can bowl all periods of the game, and hopefully offer something to the team.”
Not that White’s dazzling debut - which followed another batting masterclass by captain Dawid Malan, who struck 58 from 28 balls with 10 boundaries as Yorkshire made 175-8 before restricting Notts to 166-9 - came as a surprise.
White has been one of the successes of the season so far, having taken 21 wickets in his six County Championship games at an average of 22.33, a contribution that is perhaps easy to overlook given the plaudits that have rightly come the way of George Hill, the club’s leading wicket-taker with 32.
“It's been really enjoyable,” said White of his move north. “The guys have been so welcoming.
“Hopefully we can get more wins now and move up the tables in all formats.
“Everyone says T20 is all about momentum, so hopefully we’ve found that and can continue.”
Next up is Bears at Headingley on Friday, the sixth of 14 group games punctuated by a couple of Championship fixtures at the end of the month.
White’s performance at Trent Bridge has perhaps created a selection headache for Anthony McGrath, the club’s head coach, albeit one he welcomes.
“I think with the nature of this comp - we play Friday, Sunday, the following Friday, and so on - Jack’s going to be in the mix now and he’s going to be hard to leave out,” said McGrath.
“Hopefully Milnes (Matt Milnes, the pace bowler who was rested for the Notts match) is OK for Friday, but what we want, as any captain and coach wants, is options, and hopefully now we start to see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
“It's just nice to have those options because the games come thick and fast and, as we know, we’ve not had the greatest luck with injuries and stuff.
“With ‘Milnsey’ missing (at Notts), it was ‘Coady’ (Ben Coad) or Jack (who played) and, yeah, he had a great night on his T20 debut for Yorkshire, superb.”
Another who impressed McGrath is Will O’Rourke, the New Zealand pace bowler who has grown into the tournament. In contrast to White, O’Rourke had a T20 debut for the club to forget, conceding 0-67 from four overs in the opening match against Northamptonshire at Headingley, Yorkshire’s second-most expensive T20 analysis behind Ben Mike’s 1-74 against Derbyshire at Chesterfield in 2023.
Since then, he has got better and better, taking 1-12 from three overs in the win against Leicestershire at Headingley last Sunday and conceding just seven runs from his final two overs at Notts.
“He came off the plane straight from the IPL before his first match so it wasn’t easy for him,” said McGrath.
“First time in England and in the Blast - I think he’s reacted really well.
“He’s a great lad, and he’s not played loads of cricket, so he’s learning all the time.
"His yorkers, in particular, were magnificent against Notts.”