Cricket is the favourite sport of many worldwide. This game, which demands lots of practice, skills, and patience, is a legend enjoyed by millions of cricket fans who watch and practice. Cricket originated in England in the 1600s and was played mainly in villages.
It took some time for cricket to spread its momentum across the nation. During the 1700s, cricket emerged as a game. During the 1800s, the sport continued its course under the rule of the British Empire in several colonies, such as North American colonies, India, and even the West Indies Islands.
Generally, when the conversation around cricket legends starts, names like Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman, and Gary Sobers come to mind. Still, before all of them, many other legends existed that made cricket into the very sport that it is today. One such legend has been nicknamed the ‘Doctor’ and is known as the father of cricket.
There must be some curiosity in the mind, wondering who has been given the title “Father of Cricket”. That cricketer is Sir. William Gilbert Grace. He was born on July 18, 1848, in Downend, near Bristol, England. He was part of the game for 43 years and was regarded as an all-rounder.
WG Grace was a right-handed batsman considered one of the greatest in the game. He entered the industry when cricket was unpopular, and its terms and regulations needed to be better established.
He has played 22 test matches, 44 first-class sessions, and 879 first-class games as a cricketer. He is known as the Father of Cricket for a reason: when the growth of cricket was unprecedented, and no one took it seriously, he was the one who put strenuous work into the game. This made him worthy of the title given to him.
William Gilbert Grace’s Domestic Reign
Playing from 1865 to 1908, the father of cricket had an impactful career and played well into his early 60s. W. G. Grace played cricket in 28 domestic teams, spreading the game’s popularity amongst the masses while using his extraordinary skills to spread knowledge about this sport. He scored 54,000 runs and took around 2,800 wickets during his games. He is also one of the first players to score 100 centuries. Grace has also made 126 centuries and 251 half-centuries during his tenure.
Grace has played many games, and he’s titled to be the first to achieve many feats in the sport, such as scoring 839 runs in only 8 days. Another huge achievement of the father of cricket is that he scored 344 innings and was the first to score a triple-century in first-class cricket.
William Gilbert Grace’s International Reign
At a time when this sport was still developing and nowhere near as popular as it is now, Grace managed to charm the sports world with his skills and achievements. He featured in approximately 22 international test matches during his tenure, all against Australia. He mustered 1,098 runs during these matches, and the highest he ever scored in one game was 170 runs.
Influence of the Father of Cricket on the Game
W. G. Grace dedicated his life to cricket and proved that persistence and determination pay off in the long run. Setting an example for many players in years to come, Grace is rightly known as the father of cricket and, to this date, remains one of the most influential figures in cricket history. He understood the game and realized that it takes time to develop one’s skills to play cricket. Due to his rigour, he was also known as a ‘gentleman player,’ believing the game should be played with team spirit and the right mindset.
W. G. Grace was also renowned as an active teacher to the people surrounding him. Be it fixing stances, how to hold a bat, at what time to hit, etc., he was a beacon of enlightenment to many throughout his cricketing career.
Grace was an all-rounder because he was a good bowler, fielder, and batsman. Whatever his position was in the game, he never failed to do well in it. With age, his bowling technique changed speed, and he took up more slow bowling, like spin bowling with leg breaks. This move at the time was labelled the ‘leg tweaker.’
Grace’s impact on cricket has been nothing short of influential, and even hundreds of years later, his techniques and records are remembered amongst the cricket industry. W. G. Grace represented what cricket stood for team spirit, hard work, and determination. He chose cricket when there was no way to predict what the future of this sport would look like and gave his all to it.
