Wisden overview
An action man of an allrounder, White only became an integral member of the England side after blacking out mysteriously in a street in Scarborough in May 2000. He recovered, attacked the game as if each day might be his last, and, almost overnight, became England's fulcrum at No. 7 or 8, although he has consistently been found out – like so many others – by the Australians. His batting is all about aggression, and he loves the challenge of launching the spinners over extra cover and sweeping them high over midwicket. Against the quicks he likes to hook, and isn't afraid of getting forward - even on the dodgiest pitches. His bowling relies on a muscular shoulder action and plenty of reverse swing at a decidedly nippy pace which he struggled to maintain as injuries took their toll. When White first played for England, it seemed that Ray Illingworth's Yorkshire bias had overstepped the bounds of decency. But in 2000-01 on the subcontinent, England wondered how they got by without him, and in December 2001 he hit a stirring first Test hundred in the heat and dust of Ahmedabad. He finally batted well against the Aussies at Melbourne in 2002-03 ... and then revealed he'd ripped a rib muscle while bowling the day before. England waited until the last possible moment for him to prove his fitness for the 2003 World Cup, testament to his perceived pivotal allround role. Lawrence Booth

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