W. G. Grace

From Cricipedia - The Cricket Encyclopedia!

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

In many of the tributes paid to him, he was referred to as "The Great Cricketer". Perhaps the most significant tribute to him comes from the anti-establishment writer CLR James who includes a whole section, covering four chapters and some sixty pages, about Grace in his classic work Beyond a Boundary. James entitles this section "WG: Pre-Eminent Victorian" and declares Grace to have been "the best-known Englishman of his time". James goes on to say of cricket that it is "the game he (Grace) transformed into a national institution".

In a career spanning 44 years, Grace's batting average was 39.45 at first-class level, an average undoubtedly dragged down by playing into his late fifties. At his peak in the 1870s his first-class season batting averages were regularly between 60 and 70, at a time where uncovered, poorly-prepared pitches meant that scores were far lower than the modern game. His career bowling record of 2809 wickets at the outstanding average of 18.14 speaks for itself.

1871 was his greatest season as he scored 2,739 runs. A total of 17 centuries were scored in first-class matches, and Grace accounted for 10 of them. He averaged 78.25; the next best average by a batsman playing more than a single innings was 39.57 and only two other batsmen exceeded 1,000 runs.

Grace played Test cricket against Australia from 1880 onwards, but he was already past his peak at that stage.

He was a doctor by profession and played cricket as a (nominal) amateur throughout his career.