Brook's side
International Regular
Carl Hooper over rated.
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Players whose reputation during their career was an inaccurate reflection of how good they really were
- Thread starter Brook's side
- Start date
Nintendo
Cricketer Of The Year
Grace basically invented modern batting didn't he? Was one of the first players to play on both the front and back foot. There's a season where he scored more runs than the remainder of England combined. Compared to the guys around him he was as dominant as you could be, and that's really the only thing you can go off.
If you went back in time, grabbed grace from his peak fitness and made him play a test match against modern Australia he'de probably suck. But if he grew up in the modern era he'de 100% be a freak.
trundler
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Centuries, not runs.
Brook's side
International Regular
We'll never know, but I just don't see it.
I'd guess that the front foot thing was just because his debut co-incided with overarm bowling.
I can't believe there were many who played off the back foot to full pitched straight balls.
The pool of players was so small then as well, so being head and shoulders over everyone didn't necessarily mean much.
If you send Kevin Pietersen back in time, to take on WG, I know who my money's going to be on.
I'm sure the bats were ****, but KP's not going to play 20 tests against representative sides of part timers and only have 1 6 to his name.
weeman27bob
International Vice-Captain
Ben Stokes.
People think he's mediocre with the bat, but he's hit the most 6s in test matches so he must be the best of all time.
People think he's mediocre with the bat, but he's hit the most 6s in test matches so he must be the best of all time.
capt_Luffy
Cricketer Of The Year
KP will probably have more sixes, but I find it tough to believe he will do better overall than Grace.
Brook's side
International Regular
Just look at the video of him batting in the nets. He's ****. Barely moves his feet. No weight transfer.
(although i like the cover drive in fairness)
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Brook's side
International Regular
I forgot that in fairness. Good point. Stupid rule that was.
Although I query how many 'grounds' there were there as such, that extended significantly beyond the 'boundary', I accept your point.
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Most of the first-class grounds were of reasonable size and could hold several thousand spectators. Grace probably wouldn't have hit many balls over the boundary anyway.
He tended to pick length early and strike the ball hard along the ground. Wild roundarm fast bowlers had terrorised batsmen on the rough pitches of the 1860s until Grace literally hit them out of the game. Slow-medium operators like Alfred Shaw then employed accurate off-theory to try and keep him quiet. The fast men who remained were forced to concentrate on bowling to their field.
Brook's side
International Regular
You say that Grace hit the roundarm bowlers out of the game, but wasn't it that the laws changed to allow overarm bowling?
Is it realistic to think that an entire genre of bowlers would disappear from the game because of the might of one batsman?
How many bowlers was Grace capable of facing at once?
ashley bach
Cricketer Of The Year
Obviously we'll never know for sure but I think it would be silly to think that WG wouldn't have been a brilliant batsman in this day and age.
When someone is head and shoulders above the rest in their era(and he was) it's a reasonable assumption to assume that they would of been able
to adapt in the current age.
When someone is head and shoulders above the rest in their era(and he was) it's a reasonable assumption to assume that they would of been able
to adapt in the current age.
The law changed in 1864 to reflect the fact that arms were being raised above the shoulder, but the first real overarm bowler was Spofforth during the following decade. Charlie Turner was still bowling roundarm in the 1880s.
Before Grace's time cricket had been a low-scoring bowlers' game. Batsmen's instinct was to survive on rough pitches, most of which never saw a mower or roller. Grace alone changed the balance of power, intimidating and dominating bowlers, particularly the faster ones. That drew the crowds and popularised the game. He was so far ahead of his contemporaries that he could be a virtual one-man team, especially since he bowled plenty as well.
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Brook's side
International Regular
Do you like WG Grace?
Brook's side
International Regular
If a pitch never saw a roller or a mower, then it shows how completely different the sport was to the modern version.
Brook's side
International Regular
Incidentally, this mockup of Spofforth's action (presumably from a series of stills) is pretty good
As a cricketer yes. There were aspects of his character and personality that left something to be desired.
Also he wasn't a great thinker on the game, like Bradman for instance. Those seeking words of wisdom were usually disappointed.
ashley bach
Cricketer Of The Year
The words of wisdom were left to his bat.
Brook's side
International Regular
incidentally, there were more than 900 1st class players in England in the 1860s. that seems a huge number?
social
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
There’s quite a few videos doing the rounds atm of today’s golfers (e.g. Justin Rose) hitting balls with really old clubs and they absolutely smoke them
The game has changed with regards to the willingness of batsmen to hit the ball in the air but only hitting one 6 in an entire career says something