Schools SA20 Profile: Kyle White – Northwood School
Northwood School will fly the flag for the KZN region at the Schools SA20 final in Pretoria. If they’re to be successful, one of the primary reasons will be because their captain Kyle White has exerted his influence on their matches.
White is the spark from which the Knights derive their energy.
He brings intensity to their challenge, an urgency, which permeates through their ranks.
He’s analytical and vocal, usually to be found on the boundary, from where he has a wide view of the entire field.
He is Northwood’s leader. Of that, there is no doubt.
After the Knight’s victory over Hilton College in the final of the KZN region’s Schools SA20 competition, he told SuperSport Schools Plus: “We’re looking to make a big statement this year.”
Saying that was a big statement. Then again, making the national final was a big statement, too.
Most would have tabbed either Durban High School (DHS) or Westville Boys’ High to win through to the national final – DHS won the Clifton T20 Tournament and Westville won the W100, with those teams meeting in the final of both competitions – but Northwood won through. Why?
One of the main reasons was their top-order batting. When they have won, their top order has delivered. Much depends on how the top four batsmen fare. That includes White, who is adept at accelerating the scoring or setting up shop and grafting for his runs.
Technically sound, his season has included a top score of 135 against Potchefstoom Volkskool at the Grey Cricket Festival in Bloemfontein, in January.
More in line with the demands that lie ahead at the Schools SA20 National Final, White’s ability to turn the tide of a match was wonderfully encompassed in a match-winning innings when the Knights scored a last-ball six-wicket win over Clifton College in the W100 competition in February.
It was, very much, a leader’s innings. When he took to the crease, there was a noticeable intensity about his approach, focused but not reckless.
He kept his cool, dragging his side to the brink of victory. Then, with the scores level, he struck the final ball over the ring of fielders to deliver victory to his team. White had faced 41 balls, cracked two sixes and five fours, and led his side across the line by playing the shots that each delivery offered.
White is a useful bowler, too. He, perhaps, doesn’t bowl as much as he could because of the demands placed on his batting. But he’s capable of match-altering spells.
Northwood, in the field, is usually a tidy outfit, with a bowling attack that offers variety, especially in the spin department, which has shut down a number of opponents’ run-scoring this season. The skipper, meanwhile, is one of those players the Knights look to when a wicket is needed to disrupt an opposing team’s batting effort.
He’s a multi-talented player able to make decisive contributions in all three aspects of the game, and, also, with his astute leadership. That makes Kyle White one to watch in Pretoria.
