Cricket is a popular sport played by many countries on the planet. This game is widely played in Asia and Australia. ICC is the Highest Governing Body of this game. There are many great and legendary players who have played this game.
William Gilbert Grace was a former English Cricketer born on 18 July 1848 in Downend, England. Grace player a very important in the development of modern-day cricket and is widely considered as one of the greatest players to play the game.
He played as an All-Rounder and is considered as Father of Cricket. He started playing cricket from the year 1869 and played till 1904 before he retired. He was also the captain of the England National Cricket team from 1865 to 1908 and played at several levels apart from the England team.
He made his Test debut against Australia on 6 September 1880 and went on to play 22 Test Matches for England and scored 1098 runs with a Batting average of 32.29. In these matches, he scored 2 centuries and 5 half-centuries.
He played as an All-Rounder but he was known for his batting. He was able to play various shots and time the ball perfectly. Despite being an all-rounder, he mostly used to open the innings and played his shots perfectly. He is known to invent modern-day Batsmanship.
He played for various domestic clubs and came from a cricketing background. His family members were also cricketers and his brothers were in the same team as him. In Domestic Cricket he has played 878 matches and went to score 54,896 runs with a batting average of 39.55. These innings include 126 centuries and 254 half-centuries.
He also was a good Athlete and also played Football for Wanderers. He became interested in lawn bowling and golf too. William Grace died on 23 October 1915 at the age of 67.
Captain in a first cricket match between India and British in 1721
The cricket game was introduced by British men in the 18th century. The first cricket club was introduced in the year 1792. Where in the first cricket match was played in the year 1721 when the British sailors had visited India and the era of the British colonial empire had begun. Many believed that the sport had been traveled to India and slowly got acceptance in the Parsee community.
India’s Men Cricket team which is generally referred to as Team India had gotten its Test status recognized in the year 1931. The first test match was played by the Indian team in the year 1932 at the legendary cricket ground Lord’s. It was led by CK Nayudu, as the captain of the 1932 cricket Team, since he was the best batsman to be considered at that time. So let’s take a look at the History of the Indian Cricket team and the captains since the birth of the sport.
First Test Series as Hosts
In the year 1933, India had hosted the first-ever test series. The England team visited them where they played 2 matches, one in Bombay and one match in Calcutta. England had won both the matches. The Indian Cricket team continued to make efforts and improve their form. They soon won their first test match against England in 1952. They had also won the test series later in the same year against Pakistan.
Later when the India Cricket team started getting their momentum since their first win, the era of Sunil Gavaskar and Vishvanath had begun. The 1971 test series under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar which was held in England had won the series against West Indies.
One day Series and The recognition of ICC World Cup
A call on having a strong board to conduct the international cricket leagues and other tournaments was Taken in the year 1971. At that time India was led by the brilliant batsman, Sunil Gavaskar. In the same year, the idea of One-Day international matches was also introduced.
In the year 1983, the Indian cricket team was headed by the all-rounder Kapil Dev. And as we know the year was known to be the year of the Indian team as they had their first ICC World Cup.
Rivalries
Over the years, Indians had gained a lot of experience and achieved many wins. In this due course of time, the team had also made rival teams. England and Pakistan are the arch-rivals of India. Since the inception of cricket in India in 1721, India was seen as a potential target by all its competitors. Nevertheless, India was not afraid to face and had given them tough luck in all their matches.
He was a great all-round cricketer from the West Indies
Cricket is a game that is played by Batsmen and Bowlers. Few master the skill of batting whereas few can deliver balls precisely. All Rounders are the players that can do both, though they are better in one than the other still they can perform in both aspects when needed.
Many countries have produced many great Batsmen and Bowlers. Many All-Rounders are part of teams and have played a very crucial part in making their teams champions. Today we will be looking at one such all-rounder who was a gem of the West Indies Team.
Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers is a legendary Barbadian Cricketer born on 28 July 1936 in Barbados. Garfield Sobers was considered one of the greatest players of all time. Sobers played as an All-Rounder for the West Indies team.
He was known for his aggressive batting and skilled bowling, apart from these two he also was an excellent fielder. Sobers played for West Indies for a span of 20 years that started in 1954 and played till 1974. Sobers took many Wickets and scored many runs in that period.
Sobers made his Test debut for West Indies on 30 March 1954 against England and he only played one ODI against England on 5 September 1973. He however did not score any runs and got out in duck in that one match.
Garfield Sobers has played 93 International Test Matches in his career and has gone to score 8,032 in those matches. He has a Batting average of 57.78. In his International Career, he has scored 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries and has a high score of 365 not out which was later broken by Brian Lara.
He also was a brilliant bowler, he has taken 235 Wickets in 93 matches and has the best figures of 6 Wickets for 73 runs. Garfield without any Doubt is the greatest All-Rounder to play the game both for West Indies and in the world.
Cricket refers to the sport where a team requires at least 11 players and a match is played between two of such teams. The match has three main activities batting where player hit the ball to score runs, bowling where players try out the batter to and feliding where player make sure to not let the ball out of the field or try to catch. The batting and Bowling/fielding id decided bya toss(coin flip), the team to win the toss decides to bat or bowl/field.
Everyone love Cricket and their players it is one of the most watches sports in the world. Their is always a discussion the best captain or who could be the best captain, people sometime asses them on the basis of their achievements or their looks. Here are the top 10 most popular cricket captains all over the world of all times.
1.Steve Waugh
Born: 2 June 1964, Campsie, New South Wales, Australia
He is a former professional cricketer, a right-handed batsman and medium-pace bowler, started his career in 1984 and known as Tugger or Ice man and lead the Australisn team from 1997 to 2004. Australia won the 1999 Cricket World cup and a 15 succesive wins in International test matches under his captaincy. And internationally retired in 2002
2.Clive Lloyed
Born: 31 August 1977, Georgetown, Guiana
He is a former West Indies team left handed batter and right are medium bowler who debut in 1966 famously known as Super Cat and was the captain of the West Indies team from the year 1974 to 1985. In his cantaincy West Indies won 2 World cup in 1975, 1979. he also earned 100 internationals caps. finally internationally retiring in 1984.
3.Ricky Ponting
Born: 11 December 1974, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
He is a former Australian right-handed batter and right-arm medium bowler who debut in 1995 nicknamed Punter. led the Australisn team between 2004 and 2011. After Sachin Tendulkar he placed 2nd for most international centuries in the cricket world. he internationally retired in 2012.
4.Graeme Smith
Born: 1 Febuary 1981, Johannesburg, Transvaal province, South Africa
South African former cricketer a left handed opening batter. Debut in 1999 famously known as Biff, led the his team from 2003 to 2014 till his retirement. he was the most capped captain ever. In 2003 he made double centuries in successive test matches. he also is the 12 player in the world to score above 9000 runs in his 112th test match.
5.MS Dhoni
Born: 7 july 1981, Ranchi, Bihar( now in Jharkhand), India
Former Indian cricketer a wicketkeeper Batsman debut in 1999 famously known as Mahi and captain cool led India from 2007 till 2017. Under his Captaincy India won ICC World T20 2007, ICC World Cup 2011 and ICC champions Trophy 2013. Ranked first in ICC test in 2009 further led domestic team CSK to win IPL in 2010, 2011 and 2018. And internationally retired in 2022.
6.Hansie cronje
Born: 25 Septrmber 1969, Bloemfontein, Free State South Africa
Death: 1 June 2002 Caradork Peak, Outeniqua Mountains, South Africa
Late south African Cricketer, an All-rounder right haned batter and right-arm medium bowler debut in 1992. Under his captaincy the team won 27 test matches and 99 One Day Internationals, but unfortunately he died in 2012 in an airplane accident.
7.Virat Kohli
Born: 5 November 1988, Delhi, India
he is an active Indian cricketer debut in 2008 is a right-handed top-order batter. In 2013 he was ranked one for best ODI batsman, he aslo won the title of Man of the Tournament in ICC World tournament in the year 2014 and 2016. In 2017 he took the role of Captain of Indian cricket team.
8.Michael Clarke
Born: 2 April 1981, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
He is a former Australian Cricketer and commentator, a right-handed middle-order batter, debut in 2003. Under his captaincy Australia won the 5th Cicket World Cup. He was the first captain for T20 international for Australia and step down as the captain in 2011, he was nicknamed as the pup.
9.Sourav Ganguly
Born: 8 July 1972, Calcutta,, West Bengal, India
Former indian Cricketer and 39th president of BCCI, he is a left handed Batsman popularly known as Maharaja and God of off-side because of his off-side bating methods. Became the captain of India cricket team in 2000. he has scored more than 10,000 runs in ODI’s.
10.Mahela Jayawardene
Born: 27 may 1977, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Former Sri Lankan cricketer a right handed batter debut in 1997. Nicknamed Master Mind was first Sri Lankan player to score more than 10,000 runs in test matches and second in ODI’s. He has one of the highest partnership of 624 runs with Kumar Sangakkara against south Africa. In 2006 he captained the team against England.
10 Best Cricket Coaches in the World | Exclusive Rankings
Cricket is a game played using a bat and a ball. The batsman hits the ball bowled by the bowler and the fielders have to save the ball from hitting the boundary line. Many players have made fortune playing this gentleman’s game. Cricket is becoming a sport that is now being recognized worldwide and slowly teams from different nations are showing their interest in the game. Check10 Best Cricket Coaches in the World | Exclusive Rankings
Coaches are playing a very important role in developing the team and making the most use out of the players. Coaches are a very important part of the teams as they act as mentor and guide who provides the right directions to the team. Teams and nations have done wonders under the guidance of coaches. Let’s have look at the best cricket coaches in the world.
10 Best Cricket Coaches in the World
10. John Buchanan
John Marshall Buchanan is the former World Cup-winning coach of the Australia national cricket team and of the Kolkata Knight Riders team in the Indian Premier League who was born on 5 April 1953 in Queensland, Australia. John was a right-handed Batsman who was the coach of the Australian Team from October 1999. John helped Australia win a world-record 16 consecutive Test match victories and 23 ODI victories in world cup tournaments. He also helped Australia in lifting the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa and in late 2006 ICC Champions Trophy for the first time.
9. Bob Woolmer
Robert Andrew Woolmer was an English cricket coach, cricketer, and commentator who was born on 14 May 1948 in Kanpur, India. In 1968, Woolmer received his coaching qualification. Bob started his coaching career by coaching South Africa, then England, again South Africa, and Finally Pakistan. He helped the Pakistan team to win the series against India in India and defeat England in the home series.
8. John Wright
John Geoffrey Wright is a former international cricketer representing – and captained New Zealand who was born on 5 July 1954 in Darfield, New Zealand. John was appointed as India’s coach from 2000-2005 in which he helped the team improve a lot. India played the finals of the 2003 ICC World Cup against Australia under his Guidance. Wright was also appointed as coach of the World XI team that played Australia in the ICC Super Series 2005. He was Head coach of Mumbai Indians in 2013 in which Mumbai won the IPL title.
7. Dav Whatmore
Davenell Frederick Whatmore is a Sri Lanka-born Australian cricket coach and former cricketer born on 16 March 1954 in Colombo. He started his coaching career in Sri Lanka and helped them win the 1996 Cricket World Cup. He later coached Pakistan, Kolkata Knight Riders, Nepal, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kerala and is the current coach of Baroda.
6. Gary Kirsten
Gary Kirsten is a South African cricket coach and former cricketer born on 23 November 1967 in Cape Town, South Africa. Gary started his coaching career in 2008 with India and helped them win the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. On 5 June 2011, Kirsten was appointed the full-time coach of the South Africa national cricket team for a term period of two years. He now runs a cricket coaching academy.
5. Duncan Fletcher
Duncan Andrew Gwynne Fletcher is a former cricketer and Zimbabwean coach who has also coached India and England. Duncan was born on 27 September 1947 in Southern Rhodesia. Duncan was the coach of England and helped them better their position in Test. Following Gary Kirsten’s retirement as Indian Coach, Duncan was appointed as Indian Team coach and helped the team win the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
4. Mickey Arthur
John Michael Arthur is a South African-Australian cricket coach and former cricketer born on 17 May 1968 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He coached the South African national team from 2005 to 2010, was the coach of the Australia national cricket team from 2010 until his sacking in June 2013. He coached Pakistan from 2016-2019 and helped them win the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. In December 2019, Mickey was appointed as the new head coach of Sri Lanka.
3. Darren Lehmann
Darren Scott Lehmann is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer who coached the Australian national team. Darren was born on 5 February 1970 in Gawler, South Australia. Lehmann was the coach of the Deccan Chargers and helped them win the 2009 IPL Trophy. Lehmann was appointed the coach of the IPL Kings XI Punjab franchise for 2013 and Australian Coach in June 2013.
2. Andy Flower
Andrew Flower is a Zimbabwean cricket coach and former cricketer born on 28 April 1968 in Cape Town. He was ranked as the best Test Batsman in the World. On 7 May 2007, Flower was appointed Assistant Coach of the England team and In November–January 2010/2011 England won the Ashes in Australia by three Test matches to one. In 2020, he was appointed as head coach for Multan Sultans, St Lucia Zouks, and as Assistant coach for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.
1. Mike Hesson
Michael James Hesson is a New Zealand cricket coach and former head coach of the New Zealand cricket team. Mike was born 30 October 1974 in Dunedin, New Zealand. Hesson was New Zealand’s longest-serving cricket coach. Hesson also served as the head coach of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab and now he is the Director of Cricket Operations of Royal Challengers Bangalore.
In what ways Cricket reflect and revels Commonwealth legacy like no other sports
Cricket has been one of the constant sports in the Commonwealth Games and this summer the game is back for the very first-time. It used to be a game for gentlemen but has evolved over the years to include women in this sport. Women athletes will participate in a total of eight teams and will go against each other as they are going to compete for the gold medal.
In the Commonwealth, cricket has been always part of our sporting heritage, and some have dubbed it as the remnant of the British Empire. Also, it is said there is no other sport like cricket that reflects the part of British history and legacy.
In some ways, Cricket reflects the culture and heritage of the member states in the Commonwealth, where Britain has a unique position etched in our minds and hearts.
Dr.Prashant Kidambi of Leicester University said “If you are a batter, you don’t question the umpire’s judgment” an expert in Indian colonial history.
“It is one of the best ways to think about the relationship, the same way as the British saw it between the settler and colonized”
When the empire started growing slowly cricket started becoming famous in some of the particular regions or the parts of the empire and people like Lord Harris started to believe the sign of success in British civilization”
From the very beginning, cricket was played by some rules to instil obedience and discipline and now it has become one of the most visible and vibrant ways to demonstrate the Indian nationality identity.
“Cricket has a power that has set an example for everyone that how to be inclusive,” said England International Isa Guha
“All the players and the other member that has been connected has might gone through some uncomfortable situation that would have involved cricket and we all need to look at that and get ourselves better.”
We can see how the world is becoming more polarized so the commonwealth has decided where countries can come together and they will participate in the game some might win and some might not, but participation in common exercise is valuable.
