Garfield Sobers

At 87 years old, Garfield Sobers has this physical status:

Sir Garfield Sobers, AO, OCC (born 28 July 1936), also known as Gary or Garry Sobers, was a former cricketer who competed for the West Indies from 1954 to 1974.

Sobers made his first-class debut for the Barbados cricket team in 1953, as well as an excellent fielder.

He was soon promoted to the batting order after being primarily a bowler.

Sobers scored his maiden Test century against Pakistan in 1958, his highest individual score in an innings.

He didn't break records until Brian Lara scored 375 in 1994.

Sobers was elected captain of the West Indies in 1965, a position he would hold until 1972.

During England's 1970 tour of England, he would also captained a Rest of the World XI. Sobers took 93 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 8032 runs at an average of 57.78 and taking 235 wickets at an average of 34.03.

He has the fifth highest batting average in Test cricket, with more than 5,000 runs.

He scored over 28,000 runs and took over 1000 wickets in his 383 first-class matches, having spent time with South Australia and Nottinghamshire towards the end of his career.

Sobers was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his contributions to cricket.

He became a dual Barbadian-Australian citizen by marriage in 1980.

Sobers was selected as one of Barbados' ten National Heroes of Fame by an act of Parliament in 1998.

1936–1954: Early years

Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was born on July 28, 1936 to Shamont and Thelma Sobers of Walcott Avenue, St Michael, Barbados, and was the fifth of six children. He had two extra fingers, one on each hand, at birth. Sobers was only five when his father died at sea in January 1942, after his ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

Sobers demonstrated the ability and passion from an early age to play with a great deal of sporting ability, particularly cricket, football, and basketball. For three years, he and his equally gifted brother Gerald helped their Bay Street Boys' School team win the primary school Inter-School Cricket Championship. He was recruited to play for two local cricket teams; the Kent St Philip club in the Barbados Cricket League (BCL); and the Wanderers club, located in the Barbados Cricket Association, when he was 13 years old. Garnet Ashby, the Kent St. captain, told him that this was his chance to play cricket with "the big boys."

Denis Atkinson, a West Indies Test player, joined Sobers for valuable experience by bowling to Wanderers batsmen, including Denis Atkinson, as a left arm spin bowler, and soon improved his excellent technique as a left arm spin bowler. Inspector Wilfred Farmer, captain of the Police team in the BCL First Division, was more noticeable for his career. When Sobers was still a teenager, he gave him a chance to play for the Police team in the 1951–52 season. Sobers was admitted to the Barbados trials for the colony's tour match against the Indian touring team at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, 1952-53. He was initially selected as the 12th man, but as the team's first man, Frank King was forced to leave early due to a back injury. He made his first-class debut on January 31, 1953, when he was only 16 years old. In his first innings, he scored 7 not out, but he made an immediate impression as a bowler, taking 4/50 and 3/92.

Sobers, now 17, made his second first-class appearance in his second year in a row against a touring squad. He batted at number five against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), scoring 46 and 27, and taking two wickets in the match. He had enough talent in these two games to be chosen for West Indies, and his third appearance in Test first class was his Test debut.

Personal life

After being briefed on the 1966-67 tour of India, Sobers briefly engaged Indian actress Anju Mahendru. Prue Kirby, an Australian, was married in September 1969. Matthew and Daniel's two sons, as well as Genevieve's adopted daughter, Genevieve, were among them. Since the couple broke up in 1984, the marriage ended in divorce in 1990; however, Sobers obtained dual Australian citizenship through marriage in 1980.

He claims he was a multi-sports family with three generations of his family, who were all experts at football, basketball, table tennis, and tennis. Golf is his own favorite sport, and he has been an avid gambler. He is the author of a children's book about cricket, Bonaventure and the Flashing Blade, in which computer analysis aids a university cricket team in becoming unbeatable.

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International cricket career

Sobers had progressed and made his Test debut against England in March 1954, aged 17, after Alf Valentine died after being picked as a bowler against Barbados, despite poor results against England. He made a good impression by taking 4/75 in England's first innings, including a wicket in his first innings. At number nine, the Sobers scored 14 not out and 26 batting at number nine; however, England won the match by nine wickets.

Despite playing in the lower order, Australia toured the West Indies between 1954–55, and their all-rounder Keith Miller predicted that Sobers would become a better batsman than bowler. Sobers was not selected for the first Test, which the West Indies lost by nine wickets by nine wickets. However, he recovered his position in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Tobago for the Second Test. The match was a high-scoring draw, with Sobers scoring 47 and eight not out. As Australia posted a first-innings total of over 600, he was barely used with the bat, bowling three overs for ten runs. Sobers got a second shot in Georgetown, Guyana (British Guiana at the time) in South America. Despite scoring just 12 and 11 with the bat, he took three wickets in the Australians' first innings. Nevertheless, Australia was able to win by eight wickets. Jeff Stollmeyer, the West Indian captain and first batsman, twisted his ankle while tromping on a ball ahead of the Fourth Test in Barbados, "causing a lot of discussion about who should open." Sobers was eventually selected to open the innings after Australia had amassed yet another total of over 600 people. Sobers had a suspicion that he would be asked to do the job. "I couldn't believe them sending in someone else" -- I was a bowler with a little bit of skill as a batsman and they wanted someone to help showcase the shine and shield the three W's." Sobers made his first three boundaries, all from Miller's bowling. Sobers was tagged for another three fours in the fast-bowler's second appearance. He was eventually dismissed for 43 out of a first-wicket match with JK Holt. The match was tie-drawned, and Sobers took one wicket in the Australians' only innings before scoring 11 in the West Indies second innings. In the fifth and final Test in Jamaica, the home team was once more defeated. With the bat, the Sobers were able to score 35 not out and 64.

In the early months of 1956, Sobers embarked on his first overseas tour, aged 19 years old, when he was part of New Zealand's West Indian tour. The Sobers' campaign, although they did not succeed with the overseas batting wickets, was not encouraging personally. While in New Zealand, the pitches were green, West Indies pitches had little or no grass to speak of, while in New Zealand, the pitches were green. "I took a look at myself and wondered how I could possibly bat on that?"

How could I make runs?

"I was out before I even walked to the crease," Sobers later said. He was playing in all four Tests and took in 81 runs and two wickets. Sobers, a batsman, wanted to develop to Test level, but he only scored one half century as a child, and averaged 29.33 with the bat.

He was sent early from New Zealand to face an England squad that featured feared fast-bowler Frank Tyson. Sobers' ability slowed as he tried to cope with Tyson's speed, raising the possibility that he will be chosen for England's forthcoming tour, something he found strange given his inability. Sobers scored a century in Trinidad in the first trial match to help pick the squad for the upcoming tour. Sobers got his first glance at West Indian cricket politics during the matches. Wes Hall and Frank Mason were competing in a joint exhibition, and Sobers and Everton Weekes decided to "take on Mason and knock him out of the firing line to try and get our fellow Bajan (countryman) Wes in the team." Despite Sobers' belief Mason was the best bowler at the time, the pair targeted Mason when they attacked Hall in a tactic that paid off with Hall.

In 1957, the Sobers toured England for their summer. He played his first match against the Jim Swanton XI in April and was surprised by how cold the weather was, often requiring him to wear two or three jumpers. His contributions with the bat during the five Test series were rated as weak, with 320 runs at 32 runs in three half centuries. Sobers were struggling on the bowling front, taking five wickets at 71 runs. Sobers attracted the attention of critics with defiant batting in the final Test at The Oval, despite a weak team effort. The pitch's condition had been criticized and was described by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as "a strange sight." The West Indies were quickly dismissed for 89 and 86 by Surrey spinners Jim Laker and Tony Lock, who were playing on their home ground, after England had scored 412. Sobers played 39 and 42, while no one of his colleagues reached the top of the table in either batt or 42. "Among the newcomers" was Collie Smith, Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, and Roy Gilchrist, according to Wisden, "who was the tour's highest scorer" was defeated at Trent Bridge, with 219 not out against Nottinghamshire. Sobers was unquestionably a superb stroke-player with a keen eye for detail."

Sobers had angered his followers by failing to turn good starts into high scores at this point in his career. In 18 of his 22 Test innings, he had scored in double figures, but his highest score was still only 66. But, he kept his promise three years after the 1957 tour. He scored 2,250 runs in his next 24 Tests, at an all-time record of 93.75. He scored his maiden Test century against Pakistan in Kingston in 1958 and boosted it to an unbeaten 365, beating the world record Test score of 364 set by England's Len Hutton in 1938. The Sobers batted for 614 minutes and scored 38 four points, but there were no sixes, despite such a large number. He is the youngest player to break the individual scoring record in Tests at 21 years and 216 days, and he is the youngest triple-centurion. Sir Garfield Sobers set the world record for the highest maiden test ton (365*), as well as being the first batsman in test history to convert his maiden test ton into a triple ton. In the five Tests against Pakistan, he made 824 runs, three centuries, and then followed this with 557 runs and three more centuries on the West Indies tour of India in 1958–59. Following Collie Smith's death in September 1959, the Sobers underwent shock, but they continued to play cricket successfully. He played three centuries in five matches against England in 1959–60, totaling 709 runs.

Sobers had a superb 1960–61 series in Australia, largely inspired by new West Indies captain Sir Frank Worrell, who was a close personal friend. On the first day of the First Test at Brisbane Cricket Ground, he scored 132 runs, the match that culminated in the first Tied Test. "Some commentators called it the best hundred they've ever seen," Wisden said. Sobers had 430 runs in the series, which Australia won 2–1 in two centuries; his fielding was superb, and he had 12 catches. He felt he had "had a bad series, starting off poorly but then progressing," and a very positive result for him was to be invited by Don Bradman to play for South Australia in 1961-62.

Sobers took 15 wickets in the 1960–61 series, with one batting average of 5/20, and Worrell's bowling allowed him to play an extra batsman in the final three Tests, ensuring he was the best player in world cricket over the next decade. (Retrospectively) eight times in 13 years. Sobers was never a prolific wicket taker in Test cricket, and his average of three wickets per game in this series characterized his entire career. He took 235 wickets in his 93 Tests at an average of 34.03 and was more efficient as a pace bowler. His best result was 6/73, and although he took six wickets in an innings six times, he never took ten in a match.

His success in the upcoming two series at home to India in 1961–62 and 1963, as he moved to England. In 1964, he was voted Wisden Cricketer of the Year, then succeeded Worrell, who had resigned as West Indies captain for the 1964–65 home series against Australia.

As Sobers captain of the West Indies, his team defeated Australia by 179 runs in the First Test at Sabina Park, and he had an immediate success. West Indies continued to win the series 2–1, gaining the Frank Worrell Trophy. This was the first time West Indies had defeated Australia in a Test series.

In 1966, he enjoyed great success in England and was often referred to as "King Cricket" by the public. In the five Tests, he scored 722 runs at an average of 103.14 with three centuries, and he took 20 wickets at 27.25, as well as taking ten catches. West Indies won the series 3–1, with just one match playing. Mighty Sparrow, a Trinidadian calypso musician, was praised at that time by his album "Sir Garfield Sobers."

Sobers captained the West Indies team to India in 1966–67, winning the series 2–0 with just one match drawn.

For the first time in 1967–68, the West Indies were miraculously defeated at home by England. Following a turbulent declaration by Sobers that led England to victory by only four runs an over, four matches were played and England took the Fourth Test at Queen's Park Oval, and England won by just four runs over.

Sobers captained the West Indian cricket team in Australia between 1968–69, but they lost the series 3–1 and then drew a three-Test series in New Zealand 1–1.

West Indies lost 2–0 in England with just one match drawn in 1969.

In 1970–71, Sobers captained the West Indies for the five-Test home series against India. India defeated the series 1–0 with four matches drawn. In five home Tests against New Zealand a year later, Sobers led West Indies, but all five were drawn.

Rohan Kanhai replaced Sobers as the West Indies captain for the 1972–73 home series against Australia. Sobers did not participate in the original series, but they returned to England under Kanhai in 1973. In March 1974, he appeared in his last Test against England at Queen's Park Oval against England.

South Africa's two lucrative tours to England and Australia in 1971–72 were cancelled after South Africa was barred from international cricket due to the country's imperialist policies. Instead, the cricket team formed a Rest of the World Team to compete in two unofficial Test series, and these teams featured some of South Africa's best players. Sobers was selected to captain the Rest of the World XI in England and a World XI in Australia.

On the first day of the First unofficial Test at Lord's, he was a captain of the Rest of the World XI against England at 6/21. He scored "awesome" 183 runs in the second innings and helped England bowl out England in the second innings using his left arm wrist spin. Sobers scored 114 and 59 as his team won by two wickets in the Fourth Test at Headingley. He outraged several in the West Indies by participating in a friendly double-wicket tournament in Rhodesia in September 1970, which culminated in the remainder of the World series.

Sobers won a 256-run-out test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in January 1972, compared to Don Bradman's "probably the best display of batting ever seen in Australia." Ian Chappell, the Australian captain, also rates the innings as the best he's ever seen.

He hit his century in 129 balls and finished 254 in 326 balls on a rest day. It was "one of the most spectacular innings seen on the Melbourne Cricket Ground" and featured two sixes and 33 fours, with "bright displays of forceful cricket" lasting 376 minutes.

Sobers wrote in his autobiography that these two "unofficial" series should be given full "Test" status due to the quality of the players concerned.

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