This legendary cricketer made over 54,000 runs, 124 centuries, took 2809 wickets; ticket prices doubled when he played
This legendary cricketer, also known as the ‘father of cricket’, has one of the most impressive record sheets in the history of the game.
While India has seen some of the best and the most legendary cricketers over the history of the game, be it Sachin Tendulkar or Vijay Hazare, one man trumps all their records. British cricket player WG Grace, who is also known as the ‘father of cricket’ has made records that remain unbeatable after decades.
WG Grace was the player who was responsible for the popularization of cricket and used to play the sport during the 19th century, over 150 years ago. Grace specialized in First Class Cricket format, and stadiums used to be sold out whenever he came on the pitch.
WG Grace holds the record of making 54,000 runs in First Class format of cricket throughout his career, and over 1090 runs in the Test cricket format. However, his batting record is not the only thing that drew fans to the stadium during the 1850s.
According to the statistics available on ESPN, WG Grace made around 54,211 runs in First Class format, 1098 runs in Test format, made 126 total centuries and over 250 half-centuries throughout his career. His high score in a single first-class game was 344 runs.
The legend’s bowling record is nothing less than impressive as well, with him taking a record number of wickets in his career. WG Grace played a total of 870 first-class innings in his career and took a total of 2809 wickets during this time.
The father of cricket also made a record as the oldest player to play in a test match at nearly 51 years old, and also the oldest team captain in the history of cricket. WG Grace was so legendary that the ticket prices of first-class matches used to double from 3 pence to 6 pence when he was out on the field.