Born as the fifth child of six on the 28th July 1936, ‘Gary’ showed a talent for most sports from an early age. However, it was soon evident that cricket was his game. Showing talent and flair at both bowling and batting, he rose quickly through school and local teams to make his first-class debut, aged just 16. A meteoric rise was capped with his full test debut, in Kingston, Jamaica in March 1954, in the fifth and final test of a series against England, aged just 17.
Australia were to follow in the winter of ‘54-’55 against whom Sobers, now a regular in the team, was steady with both bat and ball, including getting a sprightly 43 as a stand-in opener in the fourth test. Over the next few years, his first 22 innings marked an encouraging, rather than glittering, start to his test career. Although he consistently got off the mark, Sobers had yet to push on to the big scores he was to become so famous for later on.
But from 1958, things changed dramatically, averaging an astonishing 93.75 runs over his next 24 tests, including the celebrated 365 not out against Pakistan in Kingston. This mammoth total was a record test score that was to stand for nearly four decades, and Sobers remains the youngest player ever to score a triple hundred in test cricket. Although not as spectacular as with the bat, his figures with the ball also continued to mount. Also remarkable was Sobers’ ability to switch between bowling styles, from left arm spin and wrist spin to seam bowling at medium and fast pace, even bowling in-swing with the new ball.
Sobers’ career peaked in ’65 as he ascended to the West Indies captaincy, leading the team to a first ever test series victory over Australia. More successes were to follow in what was to become a golden-age for West Indies Cricket. Away from the Test Match arena, the Barbadian also enjoyed a glittering career in first-class cricket in England and Australia, as well as the West Indies. One notable record came while playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan in English first-class county cricket as Sobers became the first batsman ever to hit six sixes in one over.
Ultimately however, it is test cricket that people really remember. A prolific career left the left-hander with a total of over 8,000 test runs under his belt at an exceptional average of 57.78, an impressive record alone, but astonishing when aligned with a haul of 235 test wickets with the ball. To this day, Sobers is considered cricket’s greatest all-rounder and one of the finest players to have ever graced the sport. Following his retirement from the game in 1974, after 20 years at the top, the Queen’s New Year Honours of January 1975 acclaimed ‘Sir’ Garfield Sobers, an award formally bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II herself during the Royal visit to Barbados the following month. In 1998 the cricketing legend was proclaimed a ‘National Hero of Barbados’, to date the only sporting and living member of the select group of ten great Barbadians to have received the honour.
Titles may add colour to an already illustrious life, but for most it is the charismatic and graceful style he brought to the game of cricket for which Gary Sobers will always be remembered. And while tourists from the world over flock to the Caribbean for their Barbados holidays, you can be sure that more than a few will look to take in a match at the island’s famous Kensington Oval. Although he’s no longer playing, the ground hosts a magnificent bronze statue of the legend, showcasing the great man in his prime.
Sean Burke writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
