Shaw's XI in the USA - 1881

Alfred Shaw was no stranger to North American cricket, having previously been a member of the Richard Daft XI of 1879. He returned two years later with his own XI for the first stage of a "World Tour" that was also to include games in New Zealand and Australia.

W. G. Grace considered Shaw to be England's finest bowler of the previous ten years. He would go on to amass 2027 first-class wickets in his career at an average of 12.13. He wore batsmen down with the accuracy of his bowling. He took 50 balls for each wicket but conceded just 1.45 runs for every six balls bowled throughout his career.

His team was to play all five USA matches against odds. Philadelphia, in the first game, would field 12; afterwards the other four games would be played against teams of 18 or 22.