Ross Whiteley: Worcestershire big hitter to leave after nine seasons at New Road

Worcestershire's Ross Whiteley was one of Southern Brave's big heroes in the inaugural Mens Hundred final, smashing four sixes and four fours in an unbeaten 44 off 19 balls — Worcestershire’s Ross Whiteley was one of Southern Brave’s big heroes in the inaugural Mens Hundred final, smashing four sixes and four fours in an unbeaten 44 off 19 balls

Worcestershire’s big-hitting batsman Ross Whiteley is to leave the county after nine seasons at New Road.

The 32-year-old ex-Derbyshire player, who was part of Worcestershire’s T20 Blast winning team in 2018, smashed 120 sixes in 98 T20 innings for the county.

He won his second trophy in three years when he helped Southern Brave to win The Hundred on 21 August.

After rejecting a new white-ball deal from Worcestershire, Whiteley has been linked with a move to Sussex.

They are understood to have put in a 28-day notice for Whiteley, whose existing contract expires at the end of the season.

Three of Sussex’s players, Surrey-bound Chris Jordan, George Garton and Tymal Mills were part of Brave’s Hundred-winning side with Whiteley at Lord’s.

Worcestershire are also parting company with wicketkeeper Alex Milton, who has not been offered a new contract.

Ross the rope clearer

Yorkshireman Whiteley, who has also played in the Bangladesh Premier League and the Pakistan Super League, became labelled as a one-day specialist after a mid-season move to New Road from Derbyshire in July 2013.

Plans to develop his bowling and use him as an off-spinner never quite came off, but he has still played 58 Championship games – scoring 2,352 runs at 26.42 – although only featuring twice this season.

The Pears have mostly benefited from his superb fielding skills, on top of his capacity to clear the ropes in one-day cricket.

He became the first English player to hit six sixes in an over in an innings of 65 off 26 balls at Headingley in 2017 – a seven-ball over from Yorkshire leg-spinner Karl Carver.

Ross Whiteley was part of Worcestershire's T20 Blast winning team in 2018 — Ross Whiteley was part of Worcestershire’s T20 Blast winning team in 2018

He has hit 1,975 runs at 25.64 in T20 cricket for Worcestershire, as well as 133 in seven knocks this summer for the Southern Brave in The Hundred – and 1,334 in the One-Day Cup at 31.02.

His growing reputation earned him an England Lions call in the winter of 2015-16, but he failed to take his chance, making only 62 runs in five matches and 78 in four List A games.

Whiteley’s 120 T20 sixes