# Graham Whyte
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{{Short description|Australian cricketer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Graham Whyte
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling = Right-arm off-spin
| columns = 2
| column1 = [First-class](/source/First-class_cricket)
| matches1 = 44
| runs1 = 1,033
| bat avg1 = 18.12
| 100s/50s1 = 0/5
| top score1 = 93
| deliveries1 = 6,752
| wickets1 = 73
| bowl avg1 = 38.87
| fivefor1 = 1
| tenfor1 = 0
| best bowling1 = 6/65
| catches/stumpings1= 31/–
| column2 = [List A](/source/List_A_cricket)
| matches2 = 9
| runs2 = 58
| bat avg2 = 14.5
| 100s/50s2 = 0/0
| top score2 = 14
| deliveries2 = 204
| wickets2 = 1
| bowl avg2 = 146
| fivefor2 = 0
| tenfor2 = 0
| best bowling2 = 1/36
| catches/stumpings2= 5/–
| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/8223.html CricInfo
| date = 21 April
| year = 2023
}}
'''Graham Keith Whyte''' (29 March 1952 – January 2025[{{Cite web |date=2025-01-14 |title=Vale Graham Whyte {{!}} Queensland Cricket |url=https://www.qldcricket.com.au/news/4198263/vale-graham-whyte |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=www.qldcricket.com.au |language=en}}]) was a Queensland cricketer in the 1970s and 1980s. He was primarily an off-spinner although also a useful lower-order batsman. During [World Series Cricket](/source/World_Series_Cricket) Whyte was occasionally spoken of as a possible Test candidate.[{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110880385 |title=Dyson's dour 103 thwarts Victoria. |newspaper=[The Canberra Times](/source/The_Canberra_Times) |date=30 November 1977 |access-date=12 December 2014 |page=40 |via=National Library of Australia}}]
==Career==
Whyte played club cricket for Norths in Brisbane, and was selected in the Queensland Country Colts and Colts team. In October 1972 he took 4-1 for Queensland Country Colts in a game against Queensland Metropolitan Colts.[{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110792388 |title=Match weakened by absence of Test men |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=49 |issue=13,937 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=13 December 1974 |access-date=6 December 2023 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}} ] He played one more Shield game that summer, again with Francke, replacing David Ogilvie.
In 1975-76 Whyte took 3-53 for Queensland against the touring West Indian side but only played two other first class games.
Whyte appeared more regularly for Queensland in 1976–77. That summer he took 6–65 against WA.[{{Cite web|url=http://www.qldcricket.com.au/news/philipson-turns-in-record-performance/2015-02-27|title=Philipson Turns in Record Performance|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020932/http://www.qldcricket.com.au/news/philipson-turns-in-record-performance/2015-02-27|url-status=dead}}][{{Cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/36/36627.html|title = The Home of CricketArchive}}] He also scored 93 in a game against South Australia. Whyte took 14 first class wickets overall at an average of 35.
During the season Whyte played several games for Queensland alongside [Viv Richards](/source/Viv_Richards) who wrote in his memoirs that Whyte "was a real character... He would stand there and say, ‘Come on, Thommo [Jeff Thomson], rip the fucker up him.... Fucking give him plenty ... Hurt the fucker.’ But his batting was as limited as his vocabulary. When it was his turn and there was some pace about, the same guy who gave all that crap suddenly went deathly quiet... Out there he had all that chat, but when it came to it he displayed cowardice, and there are a lot like that in Shield cricket, good talkers when they are in the field but when they come in to bat it’s a different story."[{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/sirviviandefinit0000rich/page/120/mode/1up|first=Viv|last=Richards|year=2001|title=Sir Vivian : the definitive autobiography|page=120|publisher=Penguin}}]
After Australia's leading spinners [Ray Bright](/source/Ray_Bright) and [Kerry O'Keefe](/source/Kerry_O'Keefe) joined World Series Cricket in 1977, some observers such as [Greg Chappell](/source/Greg_Chappell) and Ray Robinson suggested Whyte may be selected for Australia.[{{cite book|page=189-190|url=https://archive.org/details/ashes770000chap/page/n1/mode/2up|publisher=Angus and Robertson|title= The Ashes '77|last=Chappell|first= Greg|year=1977}}] Robinson suggested Whyte's batting and fielding might seem him preferred to other spinners such as David Hourn and Jim Higgs.[{{cite news|title=Much talent remains for Australia|first=Ray|last=Robinson|newspaper=The Sydney Sun Herald |date=23 October 1977|page= 74}}]
Whyte had a very good season in 1977–78, taking 25 wickets at 32.48, and helping Queensland come second in the Sheffield Shield. His 4-62 against South Australia in the second innings helped bowl Queensland to victory. However the Australian selectors preferred spinners Tony Mann for the first four tests. In late December 1977 [Ian Chappell](/source/Ian_Chappell) wrote Tony Mann was "very fortunate" to be picked as Australia's spinner and "has very little competition as [Jim] Higgs and [David] Hourn are both only spin bowlers. Their batting and fielding talents are virtually non existent. The only real competition is Graham Whyte... who is a fine fieldsman, a more than useful batsman and a very promising off-spin bowler. However I venture to say that Whyte would find it harder to make runs in the Sheffield Shield competition than in a Test against India."[{{cite news|title=Testing times after India|first=Ian|last=Chappell|newspaper=The Age|date=29 December 1977|page=20}}]
Mann was dropped after the fourth test but was replaced by [Bruce Yardley](/source/Bruce_Yardley), while Yardley and Jim Higgs were selected for the 1978 West Indies tour. Whyte's omission from the latter was publicly criticised by Queensland coach Ken Mackay, Queensland selector Tom Veivers and chairman of the QCA Norm McMahon.[{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article250329648 |title=Q'ld coach lashes Aust selectors |newspaper=Papua New Guinea Post-courier |volume= |location=International, Australia |date=23 January 1978 |access-date=6 December 2023 |page=18 |via=National Library of Australia}} ][{{cite news|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=27 January 1978|title=Qld official charged}}][{{cite news|title=Qld protest 'Recall WSC players'|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=9 February 1978|page=26}}]
In November 1978 Brian Mossop of the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' wrote that Whyte was still in "reckoning" for a test spot.[{{cite news|first=Brian|last=Mossop|title=Three prong pace attack could go|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=16 November 1978|page=26}}] However Whyte only took three first class wickets that summer and did not play first class cricket from March 1979 to October 1983.
Whyte was recalled to the Queensland team in October 1983, by which stage he was captain-coach of Queensland Colts.[{{cite news|title=Queensland recall Whyte|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=18 October 1983|page= 29}}] He replaced [Craig McDermott](/source/Craig_McDermott). Whyte took 20 wickets at 40.80 that summer. He scored 51 against the touring Pakistan side and 58 in a game against Victoria. Whyte played in the 1983-84 Shield final and was Queensland's most successful bowler in the second innings, taking 3-28, but Queensland were unable to force a victory.[[https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/sheffield-shield-1983-84-356352/western-australia-vs-queensland-final-357435/full-scorecard 1983-84 Sheffield Shield final] at Cricinfo]
Whyte played two more first class games in 1984–85 as well as three one-day games against the touring West Indian and Sri Lankan teams.