It is but a far cry from the Children’s game of cricket was in rural England in the 16th century. An informal pastime that took place outside has developed into an international career sport that millions of individuals pay attention to. But for this giant leap that cricket has now taken, one man is credited to be having played the most crucial part of laying the structures and fanning the growth and development of the game across the continents – WG Grace.

In this article I inflow to look more into the great accomplishments that WG Grace left behind though without any doubt he was rightly referred to as the original Father of Cricket.

The Father of Cricket in India

Early evolution of cricket in India

Mohanlal Sukhadwala, popularly known as Mohan, is widely regarded as the father of modern cricket in India. In the early 1850s, the British had established control over much of India and had introduced cricket to major cities. However, it was yet to penetrate deeper and become a popular sport.

Adoption and popularity of cricket in modern India

Mohan was born in 1863 in Mumbai. As a young boy, he got drawn towards cricket which was being played amongst British officers and community members. He learnt the nuances of the game just by observing and practicing on his own with any ball he could find. However, as an Indian, he faced discrimination from the British clubs who did not allow native players.

Undeterred, Mohan started organizing informal cricket matches involving local Indian boys in the late 1800s. He would arrange for balls, bats, stumps and encourage more participation. Slowly, the number of local Indian players grew as they got attracted to the new sport. Mohan also successfully persuaded some Parsi and Jain community leaders to allow their youngsters to play cricket.

In 1888, Mohan founded the ‘Hindoo’ cricket club, one of the first all-Indian clubs in Mumbai. This helped foster serious cricket talent among Indian players and also increased spectator interest. Many prominent cricketers like the Noble Brothers gained early experience playing for this club.Mohan went on to travel from city to town staging exhibition matches and popularizing cricket throughout the early part of the twentieth century.

Thanks to Mohan, more than decades of effort, cricket has been established in India as the part of its culture and society at the time of the independence in 1947. He is hailed as the gentleman who made cricket firmly set Its base and grow into the most favorite sport in the country.

The man often referred to as the father of cricket – W.G. Grace

Biography and career overview

William Gilbert “W.G.”Grace was an English amateur cricketer who played between the 1860s and 1900s. Often referred to as the father of cricket, he was the first ever cricket celebrity of the international levels. Grace was born in 1848 at Bristol and revealed himself as an excellent cricketer right from his youthful days.

He played first-class cricket for the first time for his home county Gloucestershire in 1865 and played that form of the game for the next forty-three years up to 1908. Over his career spanning 5 decades, he played in around 200 matches for Gloucestershire as well as represented England, MCC, and other sides in first-class cricket.

Key facts and achievements

• Grace holds the record for scoring most runs in first-class cricket with over 54,000 runs. This tally is over 30,000 runs more than the second highest.
• He scored 129 first-class centuries, which was a record when he retired.His highest score was 224.
• Grace represented England in 22 test matches the year 1880- 1899. He continues to speak the language of Test cricket after fifty-years.
• In the year 1880, he led the England side in two matches against Australia, and in this series, England got its first opportunity of Test draw.
• Grace, it is said, made many rules and regulations of modern cricket like promotion of overarm bowling, rules regarding the leg before wicket dismissals and so on.
• Often stated to have been the finest player before the start of the twentieth Century, being also the first sports star. All the places he went to play, he was always surrounded by mammoth crowds.
• The only cricketer whose portrait was put on an English banknote in a series of millennium notes in 1999.
• Dubbed ‘The Doctor’ Grace ruled the cricket world for almost 40 years and helped place English cricket on the world stage. He is remembered rightly as the father of cricket.

Origins and early development in England

Cricket originated in England sometime during the late 16th century to early 17th century. It is considered England’s national sport.It is first recorded in 1598 in southeast England.The game started off as a children’s game in Kent and Sussex but by the last decade of the seventeenth century, the game had spread to Surrey, Hampshire, and Yorkshire. Peculiarly enough, the first associations of cricket were formed at the start of the 18th century and the initial encounters of the organizations took place during the same period.

Real development of Laws of Cricket was during the last decade of the eighteenth century and the modern crude began with establishment of marylebone cricket club (MCC) in 1787. This body was mainly charged with the responsibility of formalizing rules and regulations of this sport in its infancy. The MCC was principally responsible for the codification of rules and regulations of this sport in its early formative years. Cricket had turned out to be the game enjoyed by all classes in England in mid-century..

W.G. Grace’s impact

True international development and expansion of cricket only started with WG Grace the moment he started playing in the 1860s. Grace was the master of English cricket for nearly half a century and got a record number of runsHis batting heroics and larger than life image attracted huge crowds whenever he played in England and elsewhere. Grace was also pivotal in establishing cricket’s global footprint through his overseas tours with English teams. His popularity and success helped cricket become an important symbol of nationalism and spread from its English roots around the world, making England truly the fatherland of cricket.

The Godfather of Cricket: W.G. Grace

Impact on Test cricket

Throughout his career, W.G. Grace remained instrumental in the process of taking cricket to the international platform and the creation of Test cricket. His greatest achievement was to captain the English team in the first ever Test match against Australia in 1877 that gave birth to this most celebrated contest – the Ashes. Grace maintained the standard for professionalism and England won a draw in the final Test of 1880-1881 Ashes series. This helped legitimize cricket as an international sport played between nations. He was also pivotal in the early development of international tours that brought England and Australian teams together frequently to compete.

Contributions to the spirit of cricket

Grace made immense contributions beyond just his on-field exploits towards defining the spirit of cricket. He advocated the importance of fair play, sportsmanship, and bringing people together through the game. Grace was a trailblazer who commanded authority and respect within and outside cricket. He embodied the gentlemanly values of cricket and led by positive example on the field. Grace played a proactive role in establishing the MCC as the sole authority for cricketing laws and ethical conduct worldwide. To this day after retiring, he became a larger than life character respected for continuing the tradition of English cricket tradition.

W.G. Grace was the ideal leader with which to spread cricket around the world as a spirit of refined politeness during the colonial period. In addition to the amazing ability to score lots of runs and an extremely successful captain, he influenced the development of cricket for over 40 years of his career, which earned him the title of the true Godfather of cricket. 

No other cricketer has had a bigger influence on both establishing the game and representing its noble spirit like Grace to this date. He was truly cricket’s pioneering legend and its ultimate ambassador to the world.

The Original Father of Cricket – W.G. Grace

W.G. Grace, whose full name was William Gilbert Grace, was an Englishman born about 1848 at Downend, Gloucestershire. He was known as the most famous as well as the greatest cricketer of all time for the period of the nineteenth century in which he played. Given the nickname ‘The Doctor’, Grace ruled cricket as a sport for nearly four decades and contributed greatly to the process of making cricket a gentleman’s game throughout England and across the world.

Grace possessed formidable batting skills. He was an aggressive stroke-maker who was equally strong on the front and back foot. Grace had an excellent defensive technique and could bat for unusually long periods. He holds the record for most runs scored in first-class cricket with over 54,000 runs. This tally is over 30,000 runs more than the next highest. Grace also scored a record 128 centuries in first-class cricket.

While batting was his forte, Grace was also a more than useful bowler. He primarily bowled right-arm roundarm with his bowling actions. Grace was deceptive and could move the ball both waysHe got 2800 plus wickets in first-class cricket when he was finished. As an outfielder, Grace was safe, fast and very strong throwing. This came quite close to today’s Holders of record for most catches taken in first-class cricket, when first-class cricket for over 65 years after retirement.

However, in addition to his great playing performances, Grace expanded the popularity of cricket by his personality and sporting achievement… He was the first international cricket celebrity. Grace was the original pioneer who popularized cricket and established it as England’s national summer sport through his exploits spanning an unprecedented five decades. For his outstanding contributions to developing cricket, W.G. Grace remains the undisputed original father of cricket.

Conclusion

WG Grace was truly the original father of cricket.Superhuman performance which, among other things, lasted for five decades dictated his on-field activities had a monumental part in the promotion of the sport in England and across the globe. Over the years Grace set records which include an unmatched score of runs and centuries. He was a world class batsman, good bowler and safe field with heavy responsibilities as captain in the team.

In addition to his great score, Grace turned cricket into a gentleman’s game whose character was complemented by a legendary personality.. He played a pioneering role in establishing international cricket and institutes like the MCC. Even after his playing retirement, Grace continued contributing to the advancement of cricket. His enduring legacy makes WG Grace the most fitting choice as the original father of the game who shaped international cricket in its foundational years.

FAQs

Q. Who much WG Grace played cricket?

A. WG Grace was one of the most accomplished cricketers who played his cricket for more than five and half decade from 1865 to 1908. He played his first-class cricket when he was only 17 years old beginning in 1865 and played until the age of 60, then retired in 1908.

Q. What were the number of runs made by WG Grace?

A. WG Grace set a record of 54,896 runs in first-class cricket with overall average of 39.55. The number was more than thirty thousand runs clearer than the second largest total in first-class cricket. He also has the record for highest number of first-class cricket hundreds scoring 128 centuries.

Q. How many wickets WG Grace took?

A. In addition to being a great run scorer, WG Grace was a moderate but useful bowler who took 2809 wickets in his first class career at an average of 18.14. He bowled right arm round arm but with the ball he was a steep learning customer who could get his charges to move a bit. Curious how they calculate bowling average? Check out yourself