Godfather of Cricket: The next switch is that of Chasing legends and in “Legends Who Shaped the Game”. Instead of evident references to the historical sport personality age of the series. What stands out is that of an age of legends with an emphasis of one of the most significant moments in the development of the game and its culture.
Cricket has been a game with a lot of tradition. It is definitely known to have many towering icons whose impact in the game is unmeasureable. It is rather a difficult task to choose one godfather of cricket or particular player. But some have made outstanding performances. These cricketers performed on field and introduced new dimensions to this game. It may be worth to know more about these cricketing legends and why they are the pioneers of the game.
List of godfather of cricket
1. William Gilbert Grace
William Gilbert Grace commonly referred to as W. G. Grace is widely regarded as cricketing icon of his time. Grace was born in the year 1848 and the extent to which he has given his contribution to cricket is unmeasurable. He played the cricket for more than three decades and in those years he transformed the cricket from being a pastime activity to a proper sport in England.
Unfortunately, WG Grace was not only a great player, but also a great man. He was a great potential, the performances of which of the two were excellent in a batting and bowling. In the first-class cricket Alec played he amassed over 54,000 runs and claimed more than 2,800 wickets. His records put the foundation for cricket as serious and competitive all-embracing sport.
As nowadays cricket personalities have their special images recognizable byEverybody, Grace’s features like a beard and cap were embodying the cricket images. He also has a certain character and has a strong personality on the field of play. The impact which Grace had was that of a huge influence where he became infamous being referred to as the giant on whose shoulders the game stood .
2. Sir Donald Bradman
It is hard to talk about the all-time legendary cricketers and skip Sir Donald Bradman’s name. Bradman referred to simply as ‘The Don’ holds the amazing record of having scored at an average of 99 in his career. 94 in Test cricket. This record is considered to be one of the biggest records accomplished in any kind of sport.
Some of the features concerning Bradman’s performance included scoring many runs consistently that raised the bar in cricket. He scored 6,996 runs in 52 Test match with the help of 29 centuries.
People watched him as he batted and marveled at some of the things he did and great contributions when made Australia a force to reckon with in the cricket field.
Looking at the factors that have been analyzed earlier, one can state that Bradman contributed not only numbers to the cricket but such an important aspect as style of the batsman. He made millions of players and fans admire him because of his talent and passion he showcased on the filed. He is still a much-valued hero and his influence is still being felt in the sport to this very day.
3. Sir Garfield Sobers
Sir Garfield Sobers is remembered as one of the games greatest all rounders. Sobers was born in 1936, however he was quite a versatile player. Not only he was a good batsman, he also bowled well and was a good fielder because of which he was an important player of the West Indies team.
Sobers gathered more than 8 000 runs in Test cricket, he has high total for a non-wicketkeeper at that level – 365 without loss against Pakistan; this score remained a record until 2001. He was also a fine bowler it was equally effective in fast-medium in spin bowling. Indeed, they got an all round cricketer who was very vital for the West Indies side.
Sobers of course left his mark on the game as a player and as a strategist. By excelling in every sphere of the game he contributed greatly towards placing the West Indies cricket team on an equally powerful pedestal. He created tremendous bench marks for the future prospective all rounders and is still described as one of the finest cricketers.
4. Sir Viv Richards
Vivian Richards is a famous cricketer from Antigua, he was recognized as an aggressive hard hitter. Cricketing career spanned through the 1970s and the 1980s and was pivotal in the West Indies team commonly known as the golden generation of the side. This is especially so because his approach to batting was most fearless and this impacted greatly on how fast bowling was faced.
She was a dynamism out of Richards. He was a great talent and brought in the ‘modern’ techniques of shooting from strike and equally speedy goals. Holding participated in 121 Test Matches and 187 ODIs and completed 6,540 and 6,721 runs on the level respectively. He scored 7,633 runs in the One day internationals aggregating 35 century stands and ninety fifties.
Richards’ batting technique was terribly unconventional. Many players felt that he was confidently aggressive and that motivated them. Some of his displays were able to single-handedly change the fortunes of any match towards the West Indies. Richards Kept on playing and Richards is still regarded as one of the cricket’s greatest icons.
5. Sachin Tendulkar
Indian great cricketer, who is fondly called the “Master Blaster,” is undoubtedly, the living legend of the modern world. His career lasted for more than twenty years and therefore this makes him among the most prominent cricketers that the world has ever seen. Tendulkar had achieved many records where some of them include the record holder of being the highest run scorer in both Test and ODI format of the game.
In the Test cricket Tendulkar had amassed 15921 runs with an average of 53. 8 out of which 51 centurions and 68 fifty plus scores. In ODIs he scored 18,426 runs with the average of 44. 8, fifty-nine one hundred and ninety-four and ninety-six half. Though possessing a Stan Musial like approach, his attitude was that of a Jim Callahan.
For cricket lovers and lovers of records, much as they admire Tendulkar and his achievements, this paper argues that Tendulkar impacted much more than numbers. He mobilized a generation of players and fellow fans. They also took the Indian cricket to new heights of success. Tendulkar’s accomplishments which he achieved in his cricketing career make him an icon and a godfather of cricket.
Conclusion: godfather of cricket
Cricket’s history has seen several legendary players. WG Grace, Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Viv Richards as well as Sachin Tendulkar have all contributed a lot for the game. This made a lot of changes in cricket, they have performed and led which will remain in the history of cricket.
Some of such entertainers turned these cricketers not only into the best players but also in to transformers of the cricket. Their contributions to the world of football remain quite popular even to this date inspiring the youth to embrace the game. By grasping their roles it becomes possible to acknowledge the detailed development of the game throughout the years.
This we do when we celebrate these godfather of cricket and also recognize their contributions towards this sport. These are their narratives that help to reminisce the qualities that have characterized cricket while still inspiring future generations.
