 As a result, he severed his connection with Gloucestershire during the 1899 season.Grace captained England in the First Test of the 1899 series against Australia at Trent Bridge, when he was 51.By this time his bulk had made him a liability in the field and, afterwards, realising his limitations all too clearly, he decided to stand down and surrendered both his place and the captaincy to Archie MacLaren.