#OnThisDay: A 66-year-old English legend finally quit from professional cricket - Guess who?

In India, gully cricket is the most popular mode of playing the sport in the country. One of the most common sights that we see is that the person who brings his or her bat to play mostly doesn't agree to getting out, irrespective of how legitimate the dismissal might be. Why? Because, the bat is theirs, right? Childish and hilarious is what you'd be thinking. But, what if an international cricketer actually behaved in this way when he batted?

 

It's not any international cricketer by the way, it is the legendary WG Grace, one of England's biggest names in batting. Once, during an exhibition match, he got clean bowled by a pace bowler off the first ball he faced. Unfazed, he just reset the stumps and told the bowler, "These people haven't come to watch you bowl. They have come to watch me bat." Uttering these words, Grace batted on. One of the game's famous authors, Simon Rae in his book Skulduggery, Sharp Practice and Downright Cheating in the Noble Game had a lot of criticism to say about Grace, calling the English great as a frequent offender of the game due to his habitual sledging and manipulation of umpires.

 

With over 54000 First-class runs including 124 centuries and 251 fifties, Grace's record as a professional batter was sensational to say the least. He was gifted no doubt and also had an amazing longevity in the game. He played his last First-class game at the age of 56 but continued to play club cricket for another ten years.

 

On this day, 8th August 1914, Grace played his final club game at the age of 66, an unreal achievement. Ironically, though, the game ended in a draw with Grace not getting to bat at all.

 

There was never a dull moment with Grace on the field, be it in a positive or negative sense.

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