Cricket's development from its very inception, i.e., year 1877 can be mapped into four distinctive eras owing to the leading contributer of those periods. Dr. W.G. Grace was the first Cricketing Hero and Giant of the game and he ruled the roast till 1894. Golden Period of Cricket followed next, circa 1894-1914 and Victor Trumper was the helm at this time around. During the world wars and immediate period after that, Sir Don Bradman enthralled the audiences and stamped his authority everywhere. Sir Gary Sobers took the baton of Cricketing excellence from Don and sparked the world with his precocious talent during 1950s and 60s. Then came the most technologically accomplished player ever to grace the 22 yards and he was an Indian named Sunny Gavaskar. Sachin Tendulkar was next and we have almost lived the entire history of the great game of Cricket.
This post shall indulge itself in the discovery of that long lost magician of Golden Era of Cricket and I was always fascinated by his legacy. The name was Victor Trumper, ladies and gentleman and he was not only the flagbearer of Golden Era of Cricket but HE WAS THE GOLDEN ERA. And not even Don Bradman had exert such influence in the era following Victor's. He was simply incomparable.
Clem Hill, unarguably the greatest world's no. 3 batsman of Golden Era, paid his tribute to Victor in later years, saying that 'as a batsman, he wasn't even good enough to lick Victor's boots'. Clem Hill was his most trusted friend and many of his contemporaries, such as the likes of Sir Jack Hobbs, Arthur Mailey, Sidney Barnes (the only bowler who authoritatively troubled him in heydays), Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson, Monty Noble, Sir Wilfred Rhodes and Warwick Armstrong, all to become legends of Cricket later on, opined the same.
He averaged 39.04 from 48 test matches while amassing 3163 majestic runs. Sir Neville Cardus, unarguably the greatest Cricket Historian of past, present and Future eras, was mesmerised as 12 year old boy by Victor's strokeplay during the Old-Trafford test match of 1902 Ashes series when Victor became the first ever player to record a test century before lunch on the opening day of a test match and thus rightfully so, christened him the GREATEST BATSMAN who ever played this great game of Cricket.
Sir Bradman was always irritated and slightly infuriated at the mention of Victor's name as the Greatest Batsman who ever lived and asked Arthur Miley, how come a man averaging only 39 in test matches deserved the right to be called even Good, leave alone great or greatest? Sir Neville later answered to Bradman's query saying that as we cannot measure the greatness of Shelly's poetry by calculating the number of lines he wrote, so goes the saying for Victor too. Bradman never questioned Trumper's authority after that.
Exactly 100 years and 4 days ago, Victor drew his last breath as a 38 year old in Sydney and more than 20,000 people paid their respect and tributes at his funeral. Exactly 100 years and 4 days after that, this follower of Cricket from India offers his humble three-fingers salute to this great man from Australia who was Australia's favourite son and greatest sporting hero before Sir Don Bradman.......God doesn't make the likes of them anymore.........#Humbled&Speechless.........#VictorTrumper............#Legend.........#TheGreatestEver
This post shall indulge itself in the discovery of that long lost magician of Golden Era of Cricket and I was always fascinated by his legacy. The name was Victor Trumper, ladies and gentleman and he was not only the flagbearer of Golden Era of Cricket but HE WAS THE GOLDEN ERA. And not even Don Bradman had exert such influence in the era following Victor's. He was simply incomparable.
Clem Hill, unarguably the greatest world's no. 3 batsman of Golden Era, paid his tribute to Victor in later years, saying that 'as a batsman, he wasn't even good enough to lick Victor's boots'. Clem Hill was his most trusted friend and many of his contemporaries, such as the likes of Sir Jack Hobbs, Arthur Mailey, Sidney Barnes (the only bowler who authoritatively troubled him in heydays), Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson, Monty Noble, Sir Wilfred Rhodes and Warwick Armstrong, all to become legends of Cricket later on, opined the same.
He averaged 39.04 from 48 test matches while amassing 3163 majestic runs. Sir Neville Cardus, unarguably the greatest Cricket Historian of past, present and Future eras, was mesmerised as 12 year old boy by Victor's strokeplay during the Old-Trafford test match of 1902 Ashes series when Victor became the first ever player to record a test century before lunch on the opening day of a test match and thus rightfully so, christened him the GREATEST BATSMAN who ever played this great game of Cricket.
Sir Bradman was always irritated and slightly infuriated at the mention of Victor's name as the Greatest Batsman who ever lived and asked Arthur Miley, how come a man averaging only 39 in test matches deserved the right to be called even Good, leave alone great or greatest? Sir Neville later answered to Bradman's query saying that as we cannot measure the greatness of Shelly's poetry by calculating the number of lines he wrote, so goes the saying for Victor too. Bradman never questioned Trumper's authority after that.
Exactly 100 years and 4 days ago, Victor drew his last breath as a 38 year old in Sydney and more than 20,000 people paid their respect and tributes at his funeral. Exactly 100 years and 4 days after that, this follower of Cricket from India offers his humble three-fingers salute to this great man from Australia who was Australia's favourite son and greatest sporting hero before Sir Don Bradman.......God doesn't make the likes of them anymore.........#Humbled&Speechless.........#VictorTrumper............#Legend.........#TheGreatestEver
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