In May 2000, a month before making his Test comeback after more than three years out of the side, Craig White mysteriously collapsed in Scarborough. Weeks later, the all-rounder played a crucial role in England’s historic series win against West Indies, rediscovering himself as a cricketer in the process.
To the read the full inside story of England’s series win against West Indies in 2000, purchase a copy of issue 32 of Wisden Cricket Monthly.
Craig White began the summer which ended with England’s first Test series victory over West Indies for 31 years collapsed in a gutter with blood pouring from his face.
In May 2000, the Yorkshire all-rounder had been shopping in Scarborough when, after feeling a sharp pain in his chest, he blacked out, gashing his chin and twisting his knee as he fell. With a pub in close proximity, onlookers assumed White was feeling the effects of a couple too many. But the reality was far more concerning. White was rushed to hospital where he underwent heart and brain scans but all the results came back clear. “You don’t collapse for no reason and it is disturbing that the doctors couldn’t find an explanation,” he said at the time.
During the Windies series of 2000, and in the couple of years that followed, Hussain had provided that support, even if an arm round the shoulder wasn’t necessarily his style.
“I can count on one hand the number of times I went out socially with Nasser but I had a really good working relationship with him,” says White. “I knew he rated me and I respected him as a captain and a cricketer. We had a really good understanding of each other. I kept myself to myself, enjoyed my space, and he respected that. He was good at letting you be yourself.”
