Rex Whitehead
Encyclopedia
Rex Vernon Whitehead, was an Australian Test cricket match umpire, from Victoria
.
He umpired 4 Test matches
between 1981 and 1982. His first match was between Australia
and India
at Sydney
on 2 January to 4 January 1981, won by Australia by an innings and 4 runs, with Greg Chappell
scoring 204 and Dennis Lillee
and Len Pascoe
taking 13 wickets. Whitehead’s partner was Mel Johnson
.
Whitehead stood in all three Test matches in that series against India. In the third match, at Melbourne
, India won by 59 runs, in spite of nearly forfeiting the match. Whitehead gave the Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar
out LBW
at a critical point in the match, but the batsman indicated he had edged the ball and reluctantly started to leave the field. Gavaskar urged his partner Chetan Chauhan
to follow him. The Indian team manager intervened before Chauhan had left the field, ordering him to continue, and the match resumed. Wisden (1982 ed.) described the event as “a dreadful scene”, saying that “such a bizarre incident … brought controversy over the umpiring to a head”. Gavaskar later claimed he ordered Chauhan to join him in leaving the field in response to a racist remark made by Lillee, but there was no evidence to suggest this was true.
Whitehead’s last Test match was between Australia and England
at Melbourne on 26 December to 30 December 1982, a remarkable match won by England by 3 runs only after a valiant 10th wicket partnership of 70 runs between Allan Border
and Jeff Thomson
was ended by a juggled catch. Whitehead’s colleague was Tony Crafter
.
Whitehead umpired 14 One Day International (ODI) matches between 1979 and 1983. In 1979 he umpired one women’s Test match. Altogether, he umpired 15 first-class matches in his career between 1979 and 1983.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
He umpired 4 Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
between 1981 and 1982. His first match was between Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
and India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
at Sydney
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
on 2 January to 4 January 1981, won by Australia by an innings and 4 runs, with Greg Chappell
Greg Chappell
Gregory Stephen Chappell MBE is a former cricketer who captained Australia between 1975 and 1977 and then joined the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation, before returning to the Australian captaincy in 1979, a position he held until his retirement 1983...
scoring 204 and Dennis Lillee
Dennis Lillee
Dennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
and Len Pascoe
Len Pascoe
Leonard Stephen Pascoe is a former Australian Test and ODI cricketer. He attended Punchbowl Boys' High School in New South Wales....
taking 13 wickets. Whitehead’s partner was Mel Johnson
Mel Johnson
Melville William Johnson is an Australian Test cricket match umpire who accumulated a ten-year career total of 67 first-class matches between 1978 and 1988....
.
Whitehead stood in all three Test matches in that series against India. In the third match, at Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, India won by 59 runs, in spite of nearly forfeiting the match. Whitehead gave the Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
out LBW
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
at a critical point in the match, but the batsman indicated he had edged the ball and reluctantly started to leave the field. Gavaskar urged his partner Chetan Chauhan
Chetan Chauhan
Chetan Pratap Singh Chauhan is a former cricketer who played 40 Test matches for India...
to follow him. The Indian team manager intervened before Chauhan had left the field, ordering him to continue, and the match resumed. Wisden (1982 ed.) described the event as “a dreadful scene”, saying that “such a bizarre incident … brought controversy over the umpiring to a head”. Gavaskar later claimed he ordered Chauhan to join him in leaving the field in response to a racist remark made by Lillee, but there was no evidence to suggest this was true.
Whitehead’s last Test match was between Australia and England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
at Melbourne on 26 December to 30 December 1982, a remarkable match won by England by 3 runs only after a valiant 10th wicket partnership of 70 runs between Allan Border
Allan Border
Allan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
and Jeff Thomson
Jeff Thomson
Jeffrey Robert Thomson is a former Australian cricketer. Known as "Thommo", he was one of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket and was the opening partner of fellow fast bowler Dennis Lillee; their combination was one of the most fearsome in Test cricket history...
was ended by a juggled catch. Whitehead’s colleague was Tony Crafter
Tony Crafter
Anthony Ronald Crafter, , was an Australian Test cricket match umpire.He umpired 33 Test matches between 1979 and 1992, the highest number by an Australian umpire to that time...
.
Whitehead umpired 14 One Day International (ODI) matches between 1979 and 1983. In 1979 he umpired one women’s Test match. Altogether, he umpired 15 first-class matches in his career between 1979 and 1983.