Cricket's earliest style of bowling was underarm - don't let the sound of that word delude you, though. It wasn't always so slow and weary. John Nyren, one of the early historians of the game, once wrote about David Harris's deliveries in the 1780s for Hambledon. Harris threw underarm from somewhere close to his armpit, and the speed he produced puzzled Nyren: "How it was that the balls acquired the velocity they did by this mode of delivery, I never could understand." Obviously, underarm didn't equate to ineffective. Roundarm: A Game-Changer Born Out of Skirts? Image Source: Lord's (Only for understanding purpose) With the coming of the 1800s, a new style of roundarm bowling began making ripples. It is said that Christina Willes inspired this revolution. Because she had flowing skirts, she is said to have found underarm bowling uncomfortable and modified her style. Although this story lends romance to cricket lore, most historians now regard it as just a story. It is known that John Willes, her brother, attempted roundarm bowling during a match at Lord's in 1822. He was no-balled for doing so. He, being unhappy and frustrated with this, rode his horse away from the ground, swearing never to play the game again. Also Read | List of Biggest Cricket Franchise Team in the World The Shift to Overarm Image Source: Getty Images By the 1860s, roundarm bowling was common practice, but bowlers were testing the limits. They started sneaking their hands above the shoulder at delivery, creeping closer to what we now consider to be modern bowling. In 1862, while England were playing Surrey at The Oval, Edgar Willsher was no-balled for overarm bowling. indignant, Willsher walked off the field, albeit without a horse to make an impressive gesture. On the following day, the game continued with a different umpire, and overarm bowling unobtrusively began to take root. Also Read | MCC in Cricket: Meaning, Significance & Why it Still Matters 1864: The Birth of Modern Bowling Image Source: PA Photos It was two years later that overarm bowling was formally legalized. That moment in 1864 is generally regarded by historians as the start of modern cricket, a moment when the game as we understand it today really did begin. Years later, the game of cricket saw many lethal bowlers, may it be Lasith Malinga, who is known for his laser guided yorkers, Dale Steyn, who is well-known for his swing and accuracy along with the pace or Sydney Barnes, Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar - who all have dreaded the batters in their times. But one should know that the revolution which led to the overarm action was brought by a Woman in the early days of cricket.