'Great' athletes seem to be anointed every day; far rarer are those entitled to be considered 'original'.
Tom Wills is such a figure in every respect.

— Gideon Haigh
Wills is regarded as Australia's first outstanding cricketer. "
The picture of the athlete" in his prime, "full to overflowing with animal vigor", Wills seemed indestructible.
Match reports refer to him as a Greek god, a Colossus, "and many other things besides a cricketer".
Intensely competitive, his win-at-all-costs mentality and strategic use of intimidation undermined the amateur ideal of friendly competition.
A natural leader, his supreme confidence emboldened those around him, and he never despaired the fortunes of his side, even in the face of probable defeat.
On the off-chance that he sought another player's opinion, he invariably followed his own mind, and his resources at any critical juncture in a match were said to be always clever, and sometimes unique. "
As a judge of the game he never had a superior", wrote Britain's The Sportsman.
He was "at once a cricket crank and genius", according to The Bulletin.
The rarity of Wills' genius drew comparisons to William Shakespeare's.

Although an all-rounder, Wills saw himself principally as a bowler.
He varied his pace and style in order to quickly work out a batsman's weak points, his repertoire spanning "sparklers, rippers, fizzers, trimmers and shooters".
Noted for his deceptive slow deliveries, dropping mid-flight and big on break, Wills' fast round arm balls sometimes reared head-high from the pitch, terrorising his opponent.
English batsman Sir David Serjeant stated that Wills was the only bowler he ever feared.
Wills appeared to intentionally throw at times, and he was seen to carefully study an umpire before deciding whether to risk the illegal action.
A trickster, he would divert the umpire's attention by asking that he watch his feet lest he go over the crease, and then "let go a throw for all he was worth".
His most flagrant throws were likened to that of a baseball pitcher.

At bat, Wills was an unapologetic stonewaller with a "peculiarly ugly" style; his characteristic shots—cuts and to the leg side—ensured the primacy of defence.
He summarised his technique thus: "The ball can't get through the bat."
He also possessed a capacity for explosive drives and according to one contemporary, could "hit as hard as [boxer] Tom Sayers".
On one occasion at the MCG, Wills made a drive into the Richmond Paddock for eight runs.
It took two fielders to throw the ball back to wicket.
An outstanding fieldsman anywhere, Wills excelled in the slips and ran out batsmen with deadly accurate throwing.

Wills was a "tear away" footballer whose "pluck and skill", it was said, only George O'Mullane matched.
The longest drop kick in Victoria, he was an elusive dodger, as at Rugby, and excelled in different positions, moving from a follower and goal-scorer in the ruck to full back.
Of the early footballers, Wills was appraised as the greatest, most astute captain, and is credited with opening up the Australian game to new tactics and skills and a more free-flowing style of play.
In July 1860—in what the press called a "coup de main", and what has since been regarded as a "tactical leap" that foreshadowed modern football—Wills breached the era's notional offside line by positioning his Richmond men down the field from defence to attack.
By a series of short kick passes, they succeeded in scoring.
That same month, captaining Melbourne to victory, he pioneered a rudimentary form of flooding; and in another win for the club, exploited the low player turnout by instructing his men to dart with the ball in open spaces.
In his season-by-season ranking of players, early football historian C. C. Mullen named Wills "Champion of the Colony" five times.
Historian Bernard Whimpress called Wills an innovator who "would fit easily into today's game".
Historian Geoffrey Blainey writes: "How many of the tricks and stratagems of the early years came from this clever tactician we will never know."
'Great' athletes seem to be anointed every day; far rarer are those entitled to be considered 'original'. Tom Wills is such a figure in every respect.
— Gideon Haigh
Wills is regarded as Australia's first outstanding cricketer. "The picture of the athlete" in his prime, "full to overflowing with animal vigor", Wills seemed indestructible. Match reports refer to him as a Greek god, a Colossus, "and many other things besides a cricketer". Intensely competitive, his win-at-all-costs mentality and strategic use of intimidation undermined the amateur ideal of friendly competition. A natural leader, his supreme confidence emboldened those around him, and he never despaired the fortunes of his side, even in the face of probable defeat. On the off-chance that he sought another player's opinion, he invariably followed his own mind, and his resources at any critical juncture in a match were said to be always clever, and sometimes unique. "As a judge of the game he never had a superior", wrote Britain's The Sportsman. He was "at once a cricket crank and genius", according to The Bulletin. The rarity of Wills' genius drew comparisons to William Shakespeare's.
Although an all-rounder, Wills saw himself principally as a bowler. He varied his pace and style in order to quickly work out a batsman's weak points, his repertoire spanning "sparklers, rippers, fizzers, trimmers and shooters". Noted for his deceptive slow deliveries, dropping mid-flight and big on break, Wills' fast round arm balls sometimes reared head-high from the pitch, terrorising his opponent. English batsman Sir David Serjeant stated that Wills was the only bowler he ever feared. Wills appeared to intentionally throw at times, and he was seen to carefully study an umpire before deciding whether to risk the illegal action. A trickster, he would divert the umpire's attention by asking that he watch his feet lest he go over the crease, and then "let go a throw for all he was worth". His most flagrant throws were likened to that of a baseball pitcher.
At bat, Wills was an unapologetic stonewaller with a "peculiarly ugly" style; his characteristic shots—cuts and to the leg side—ensured the primacy of defence. He summarised his technique thus: "The ball can't get through the bat." He also possessed a capacity for explosive drives and according to one contemporary, could "hit as hard as [boxer] Tom Sayers". On one occasion at the MCG, Wills made a drive into the Richmond Paddock for eight runs. It took two fielders to throw the ball back to wicket. An outstanding fieldsman anywhere, Wills excelled in the slips and ran out batsmen with deadly accurate throwing.
Wills was a "tear away" footballer whose "pluck and skill", it was said, only George O'Mullane matched. The longest drop kick in Victoria, he was an elusive dodger, as at Rugby, and excelled in different positions, moving from a follower and goal-scorer in the ruck to full back. Of the early footballers, Wills was appraised as the greatest, most astute captain, and is credited with opening up the Australian game to new tactics and skills and a more free-flowing style of play. In July 1860—in what the press called a "coup de main", and what has since been regarded as a "tactical leap" that foreshadowed modern football—Wills breached the era's notional offside line by positioning his Richmond men down the field from defence to attack. By a series of short kick passes, they succeeded in scoring. That same month, captaining Melbourne to victory, he pioneered a rudimentary form of flooding; and in another win for the club, exploited the low player turnout by instructing his men to dart with the ball in open spaces. In his season-by-season ranking of players, early football historian C. C. Mullen named Wills "Champion of the Colony" five times. Historian Bernard Whimpress called Wills an innovator who "would fit easily into today's game". Historian Geoffrey Blainey writes: "How many of the tricks and stratagems of the early years came from this clever tactician we will never know."
Tom Wills