West Indies cricket legend Sir Garfield Sobers passes away at 89
Sir Garfield Sobers, widely regarded as cricket's greatest all-rounder and a former West Indies captain, died on Friday at his home in Bridgetown, Barbados. He was 89 and just 10 days short of his 90th birthday. His son Daniel confirmed the news.
Sobers played 93 Tests between 1954 and 1974, scoring 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78, with 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries. A left-handed batsman and left-arm bowler, he took 235 Test wickets. He also played one One-Day International, taking one wicket.
In first-class cricket, Sobers achieved a historic milestone in 1968 while playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan: he became the first batsman to hit six sixes in a single over. The unfortunate bowler was Malcolm Nash.
Sobers was born on July 28, 1936, in St Michael, Barbados, the fifth of six children. His father, a merchant seaman, died when a German U-boat sank his ship during World War II; Garfield was five. His mother raised the family alone, and Sobers later wrote that she "did whatever she had to do and looked after us tremendously well."
He began playing cricket in the streets with a tar ball and a makeshift bat, calling it "Lilliputian cricket." At 16, he made his first-class debut for Barbados. His Test debut followed in 1954, and at 21 he scored 365 not out against Pakistan, then the highest individual Test innings, making him the youngest triple-centurion in Tests.
In 1965, Sobers became West Indies captain. He later played for Nottinghamshire and retired in 1974. The Wisden Almanack named him one of the five leading cricketers of the 20th century, second only to Don Bradman. Bradman himself said in 1988: "I've got no hesitation at all in saying that Garry Sobers is the greatest all-round cricketer I ever saw."
Sobers often downplayed his talent, saying, "People call me a genius. I don't know much about geniuses. But I do believe that what I achieved was not just because of the ability that I was born with but also because I worked hard."
He was also noted for removing two extra fingers, one on each hand, as a boy using catgut and a knife. Sobers is survived by his son Daniel and other family members.
