Western Australia captain Sam Whiteman reveals plans for State cricket after signing as local with Yorkshire

Western Australia captain Sam Whiteman plans to see out the final year of his contract with the State after signing with powerhouse county side Yorkshire. Whiteman was born in Doncaster and has used his English passport to sign for the club — also home to Test stars Joe Root and Harry Brook — as a local player. The call puts an end to his hopes of playing for Australia. The 33-year-old is contracted for next season with WA and says while he intends to return for the home summer, a call will be made later in the year, with a new coach on the way. “I have been open and honest with Adam (Voges) and Kade (Harvey) throughout the year... they have been really good to talk to,” Whiteman told The West Australian. “The plan is to come back next year, but there’s a new coach coming in as well. “It’ll be a conversation at the end of the year, to sit down and work through what it looks like. “That’s certainly the plan, I’d love to do that, the chance to play cricket all year round and represent Western Australia. I still feel like I’ve got a lot to offer.” Whiteman revealed he had felt on the cusp of an international debut while playing as a wicketkeeper for Australia A and after becoming one of the Sheffield Shield’s top openers during the State’s three consecutive title-winning seasons. “Sitting down looking at where my career is at, I’m 34 at the end of this season, reality is the days of playing for Australia are gone,” he said. “Which you try and accept that. That was a dream at certain points and I feel like I probably got close at certain times, but I’m accepting that it’s not going to happen and that’s OK and it’s now what’s best for me moving forward and best for my family. “Potentially earlier when I was wicketkeeping, playing for Australia A, there was that period. “Every opener is relatively close to playing Test cricket in some sense. There’s only 12 openers around the country, so you’re always a couple of hundreds away at the right time. “I felt like I’ve been relatively consistent opening the batting and done some good things, the timing has just not quite been right, and that’s OK.” Whiteman — who moved to Bunbury as a three-year-old — doesn’t have a manager in Australia, but does have one in England, who has been sounding out county sides. But Yorkshire held a different level of appeal. Whiteman’s father still lives an hour outside Leeds. “It’s really special, it’s something I’ve always wanted to at some point throughout my career, represent Yorkshire,” Whiteman said. “As soon as Yorkshire were interested there was no turning back from there. “Dad lives there, I’ve got a lot family there still. It’s really exciting.”