Faith Thomas , the former fast bowler who was the first Indigenous Australian to represent the county in any sport, and former left-arm quick Mike Whitney have been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday list.
Both have been handed the Order of Australia, Thomas for services to cricket and to the Indigenous community and Whitney for services to cricket and the broadcast media.
Thomas (nee Coulthard) played one Test for Australia, against England, in 1958 and was renowned for a rapid yorker.
“I used to like bowling yorkers,” she told the Guardian in 2016. “The first place I played [representative cricket] was at the Gabba and it was the English captain Mary Duggan facing. I put the stump over the wicketkeeper’s head!”
Away from cricket she worked as a nurse and midwife across South Australia.
Whitney, who played 12 Tests and 38 ODIs from 1981 to 1993, moved from playing into a successful career in entertainment television.
His Test debut came in the 1981 Ashes Test at Old Trafford during another match made famous by Ian Botham’s heroics. The standout bowling performance of his career was an 11-wicket match haul against India at Perth in 1991-92 although, due to holding a first-class batting average of just 5.60, he is almost as frequently recalled for saving a Test against New Zealand with the bat in 1987 in a final-wicket stand with Craig McDermott.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo