Garry Sobers, who was born on 28th July, 1936, is undoubtedly the best ever all rounder seen in the game. His heroics for West Indies, Barbados, Nottinghamshire, and South Australia are the stuff of legends. Some of the most memorable moments of the game came thanks to Sobers and his unmatched cricketing skill.
Rated as one of the best five players of the century, Sobers scored 28,314 runs and picked up 1,043 wickets in the first class cricket. In Test cricket, the corresponding numbers are 8,032 and 235. He made his debut as a 17-year old in 1954 and within four years scored his maiden Test hundred against Pakistan which finally ended up being the highest ever Test score of 365. This remained the highest Test score in an innings till the magical ‘Lara Summer’ of 1994. Like many West Indians he saved his best for the English teams against whom he scored 226 at Bridgetown in 1960. Later in 1966, he was the star for West Indies in the tour of England, scoring three big hundreds along with taking 20 wickets.
Along with the batting his left arm bowling was also a big weapon as he had the mastery of bowling both spin and seam as per the need of the situation. Again three of his six five-wicket hauls came against England in 1963, 1966 and 1969.
His long county career for Nottinghamshire was memorable for many great performances but the most famous of those came in 1968 in Swansea when against Glamorgan’s Malcolm Nash he became the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in first class cricket. There was an interesting story regarding the recording of that over. The TV telecast was not common those days and BBC only had plans to record till Tea. But the producer kept running the camera to practice filming cricket and end up recording one of the rarest events of the game.
Sobers also scored a brilliant 254 for World XI against Australia in 1972 which was considered by Don Bradman as the best ever innings played in Australia. It was played against a fiery Dennis Lillee as both Lille and Sobers were up against each other with bouncers bowled to each other in the first innings. But it charged Sobers who delivers the masterpiece and took his team to victory.
The great Sobers retired in 1974. Interestingly he played only one One Day International match in his career and scored a duck.
