An aggressive batsman who could also bowl part-time leg spin, Gordon White was a dedicated servant of South African cricket. For a batsman of his style of play, he had fairly good numbers although his inability to adapt to tacky pitches did hurt him towards the end of his career and that’s when his bowling started to become his stronger suit. The man from Cape Province went on multiple tours to England where his all-round prowess was on display many-a-time. White’s batting relied a lot on delectable off-side strokeplay and was a clean striker of the ball. Even during his fading years, he looked a top draw batsman who was just having a loss of form. Just two centuries over 17 Tests wasn’t a fair reflection of his skills and even in first-class cricket, he couldn’t quite get the big scores going. Like many cricketers in those days, White also served the Army and was deployed in Palestine among several other places as well during the First World War. Injuries suffered during the battles eventually resulted in his death in 1918 at the age of 37.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan