Former West Indies cricket captain Sir Garfield (Garry) Sobers, one of the world’s greatest cricketers, has died aged 89.
The West Indies cricket legend became known as one of the most complete cricketers to play the game and, according to the sport’s Wisden Almanack, was in the five leading cricketers of the 20th century.
He came second only to prolific Australian batsman Don Bradman.
Sir Don described Sobers in 1988 as “the greatest all-round cricketer I ever saw”.
West Indies Cricket announced Sobers death on Friday but gave no cause of death.
“A great innings has come to an end. In our hearts, now and forever, Sir Garfield Sobers,” the club said.
A graceful and destructive left-handed batsman, Sobers, a left-arm bowler was equally skilled at delivering pace and spin and was a brilliant fielder in any position.
Reflecting on his achievements in later life, Sobers often played down the importance of his natural talent.
“People call me a genius. I don’t know much about geniuses,” he said.
“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.”
Sir Garfield Sobers rings the bell before the afternoon session in the England v Sri Lanka match at Lords in 2016. (Reuters: Andrew Boyers )
Sobers cut off two fingers as a boy
Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was born in St Michael, Barbados, on July 28, 1936, the fifth of six children of Shamont and Thelma Sobers.
Sobers was born with an extra finger on both his hands, which he removed himself as a boy using catgut and a sharp knife.
His father, a seaman working in the Canadian merchant navy, died when German forces sank the boat on which he was serving.
Garfield was five years old at the time, leaving his mother to raise the children by herself.
West Indian cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers in 1956.
Sobers excelled at many sports, including soccer and basketball, but cricket was his passion.
His first memories of the sport were of playing in the road or on the beach, aged eight.
When the West Indies team toured India in 1948, and England two years later, Sobers listened in awe to the radio commentaries.
“To a young boy from a humble background, this was something magical,” he wrote in his autobiography.
“It was a wondrous thing to think that if I could develop my skills enough, I might have that same opportunity.“
Sobers became a national cricket star at 16
A statue of Sir Garfield Sobers outside an oval in Barbados. (Reuters: Jason O’Brien )
Sobers made his first-class debut for Barbados at 16.
He played his first test for West Indies in 1954.
At 21, he scored his maiden hundred against Pakistan, finishing on 365 not out, then the highest individual test innings.
He remains the youngest test triple-centurion.
Sobers took over as West Indies captain in 1965, before joining English County Nottinghamshire.
He was batting for them in 1968 when he became the first player to hit six sixes in one over in first-class cricket.
“Six sixes are not good cricket,” Sobers said after his feat received worldwide acclaim.
“It was an occasion where we were looking for quick runs. The idea was to try and get as many runs as possible.”
In 383 first-class matches, Sobers made more than 28,000 runs and took more than 1,000 wickets.
Sobers career was not without controversy
In 1970, he played cricket in apartheid Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, generating international backlash.
West indian cricket legend Garry Sobers visits a soweto township stadium in 1991. (Reuters)
Sobers was particularly condemned in the Caribbean, where calls grew for him to be sacked as West Indies captain.
“I had not realised the deep feelings of the West Indian people in this issue of Rhodesia,” he reacted in a letter to the West Indies Cricket Board.
“If I had known or thought of these matters, I would never have gone to Rhodesia.”
Sobers retained the captaincy.
Sobers knighted more than 50 years ago
He received several invitations to play in apartheid South Africa but refused them all, he wrote in his memoir.
West Indies’ cricket legend Garfield Sobers speaks with King Charles during during his visit to Barbados in 2019. (Reuters: Phil Noble)
In 1991, as the country’s system of racial segregation ended, he briefly met Nelson Mandela, who named him and Bradman as his favourite cricketers.
Sobers called Mandela “a truly great man”.
He went on to denounce the discrimination that he and other Black players had endured in Barbados as well as in England.
In 1975, he was knighted for his services to cricket by the late Queen Elizabeth II in an open-air ceremony in Barbados, that reportedly drew 50,000 spectators.
He was named as one of the 10 official National Heroes of Barbados in 1998.
The Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex was built there as a venue for major sporting and cultural events.
Reuters
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