W. G. Grace

William Gilbert Grace (July 18 1848–October 23 1915) was an English cricketer who, by his extraordinary skills, made cricket perhaps the first modern spectator sport, and who developed most of the techniques of modern batting.

Unconfirmed stories

There are several unconfirmed stories regarding Grace. The most popular holds that Grace was bowled out on the first ball of a charity match, but continued to play, exclaiming “They came to see me bat, not to see you umpire”. It is also rumoured that on one occasion he faced a delivery which pitched up rather sharply and went straight through his beard.

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Career overview

During the thirty-six years up to and including 1900, Grace scored nearly 51,000 runs, with an average of 43, and in bowling he took more than 2,800 wickets, at an average cost of about 20 runs per wicket. He made his highest aggregate (2,739 runs) and had his highest average (78) in 1871; his average for the decade 1868–1877 was 57 runs. His style as a batsman was more commanding than graceful, but as to its soundness and efficacy there were never two opinions; the severest criticism ever passed upon his powers was to the effect that he did not play slow bowling quite as well as fast. He played Test cricket against Australia in the 1880s, but he was already past his peak at that stage. He played his last Test at the age of 50.

Related Topics:
Batsman - Test cricket - 1880s

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