Bunbury product Sam Whiteman appointed full-time captain of WA’s Sheffield Shield side

WA’s cricket teams will be captained by a pair of Bunbury products on a full-time basis this season, with Sam Whiteman appointed as the permanent leader of the Sheffield Shield side. Whiteman has skippered the team regularly in recent years in the absence of nominal captain Mitch Marsh, leading the State to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 red ball titles to become only the fourth WA player to head up two Sheffield Shield victories. Marsh had been State captain since 2017, but had made only sporadic appearances due to international commitments and was officially stood down from the role. Chloe Piparo, who was born in Broome but moved to the South West as a child, will continue as captain of the Women’s National Cricket League side, a role she has held since 2018. Speaking at WA Cricket’s launch for the 2024-25 summer last week, Whiteman said his permanent appointment to the leadership position “means a lot”. “It’s something for a long time I have really wanted to do. Probably from when I first started playing shield cricket, standing next to Adam Voges a lot and watching him captain,” Whiteman said. “I’ve been a bit lucky in the past few years to step in a bit when Mitch has been away and it has been a real honour. “I’m really proud to lead the group and can’t wait to see what this year brings.” Whiteman will miss at least the first two one day games of the summer due to a broken finger but the issue is not related to the succession of finger problems which forced him to give up wicket-keeping in the early stages of his career. Piparo said she was confident her side could improve on a fourth-placed finish in last year’s WNCL. “We competed really well last year and were in winning positions in most of our games and just didn’t get across the line,” she said. “Another year under our belt leaves us in good stead, (we’ve) got couple of recruits as well. “We’re ready to compete and go one better.” WA’s men’s side start their one day campaign against New South Wales in Sydney on Sunday, with the women’s team starting their campaign against Tasmania at the WACA Ground next Tuesday. Ashton Turner will captain the men’s one day and Perth Scorchers sides this summer, while New Zealand international Sophie Devine will again head up the Scorchers’ women’s outfit.