WG Grace, the Father of Cricket.
He was the greatest cricketer of his era, by far. And one of the greatest ever.
But, even away from the cricket field, WG Grace, the country doctor and the exemplary Victorian, was larger than life and as entertaining. Here are a few glimpses into his life away from cricket.
April 1. In 1957, David Gower was born. Seven years down the line, John Morris saw the light of the day. The two together indulged in a joy-ride with rather far-reaching consequences.
Ides of March, 1877. The first ever Test match commenced on that day.
Mar 14, 1981, Barbados. Michael Holding bowls the most blistering over ever to Geoff Boycott.
March 10, 1985. India prove that the 1983 World Cup win had not been a fluke by winning the Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket in Australia.
Mar 10, 1970. The great South African side play their final Test before isolation.
May 9, 1998. Sachin Tendulkar decimates Shane Warne at Chennai.
March 5, 1994. Shane Warne and Andrew Hudson almost come to blows.
March 3, 2009. Sri Lankan cricket bus is attacked by terrorists.
March 1, 1958. Garry Sobers scores 365*.
March 1, 2003. Sachin Tendulkar essayed a 75-ball 98 that won India a crucial World Cup encounter against Pakistan at Centurion.
Feb 28, 1981. Robin Jackman’s South African connections led to the cancellation of the Georgetown Test
Feb 25, 1975. Ewen Chatfield visits the doorstep of death
Feb 24, 2010. Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to score a double hundred in One Day Internationals.
Feb 23, 2002. Adam Gilchrist hits what was then the fastest double hundred in Test cricket.
Feb 22, 1980. When Colin Croft rammed his shoulder into umpire Fred Goodall.
February 20, 1957. Hugh Tayfield captured 9 for 113 to clinch a thriller against England.
Feb 20, 2016. The Baz Blizzard before bowing out. Brendon McCullum refused to go quietly. He had a blast.
February 19, 1999. India seemed to be cruising to a comfortable victory when Sachin Tendulkar collided with Shoaib Akhtar and was ruled run out by the third umpire. What transpired was ugly, uncouth and one of the worst smudges in the sketchy history of the Eden Gardens crowd.
Feb 17, 1982. Sri Lanka took their first step in Test cricket
Valentine’s Day 1896. George Lohmann devastated the South African batsmen with 8 wickets for 7 runs.
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Denis Compton was born on 23 May 1918
Sonny Ramadhin was born on May 1, 1929 .. Alf Valentine on Apr 28, 1930
Charles Burgess Fry was born on April 25, 1872.
SF Barnes was born on April 19, 1873
Muttiah Muralitharan was born on April 17, 1972.
Don Bradman, the only cricketer with superhero powers, was born on Aug 27, 1908.
Peter Wynne-Thomas, the legendary Trent Bridge librarian and cricket historian, was born on July 30, 1934. A tribute by Arunabha Sengupta and Maha.
Wally Hammond was born on June 19, 1903
Sachin Tendulkar, the most complete of batsmen, was born on Apr 24, 1973
Danielle Wyatt, the petite powerhouse, was born on Apr 22, 1991
Malcolm Marshall was born on Apr 18, 1958
Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s best batsman of the 1980s, was born on Apr 6, 1956
Neville Cardus was born on Apr 3, 1888. The scoreboard was an ass to him for a number of reasons.
Philander walks into an exclusive club