Sir Garfield Sobers a genuine star cricketer

By A.C. De Silva

FLASHBACK ....The three names Sir Garfield Sobers ... will surely ring a bell in any cricket lovers mind, as Sobers was a genius of inspired cricketing capabilities. People enjoyed playing against him, as one might have be enjoyed playing tennis against Rod Laver, or fighting Muhammad Ali (ignoring the painful result of this particular foray). Sobers combined Flawless technique and gentle manners. He was the master in that talented, explosive West Indies team of the mid 1960's.

Sobers, like Frank Worrell whom be so much admired, appeared graceful, lithe and reliable. Less spectacular than some, less wizard than others, Sobers was the bastion of the team. Whatever company he kept, Sobers was the man you had to dismiss. Possibly that is one reason he batted at number six for the West Indies. There was always Sobers to come, a reassuring thought for some of the more volatile men higher in the order. And a depressing one for the bowlers.

The first player to get 4,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test history ... Sobers gets a round of accolades from team-mates on taking his 100th wicket (Peter Philpott) at Kingston, 1965. The Windies beat Aussies, their first win against them in a home series.

Sobers batted as he bowled, with fluency and very straight. He seemed to lean on the ball with arms and wrists extending, to flash the ball to the boundary without apparent effort. Most memorably that graceful cut behind point, and the off-drive on the up which sizzled through covers already standing 10 yards deeper than usual.

Sobers-stan McCabe excel

Bowlers may be thankful that Sobers' genius at the crease usually found expression in mere domination of the attack. That astonishing 254 for a World XI against Australia at Melbourne in 1972 stands, with Stan McCabe's 232 at Nottingham in 1938, as examples of inspired, destructive batting. Something must have possessed Sobers that day, some set-back in his personal life. He batted with the fury of an avenging angel - hell hath no fury, we soon understood, with Sobers roused.

Bowlers may be thankful that Sobers' genius at the crease usually found expression in mere domination of the attack; the days when he took batting into apparently impossible realms were, inevitably, rare. His most memorable assault, apart from that 254, was the 132 he made against Benaud's Australia in the famous tied match at Brisbane 1961. Riled by suggestions that he could not play Benaud's leg-spin, Sobers tore into a talented Australian attack, scoring his century in even time in a convincing assestion ion of his mastery.

Sir Gary's bowling too, stands in memory for its languid rhythm, its late effortless movement, for several years Sobers was the most lethal new ball bowler in the world. His wicked in-dip trapped many batsmen in front of their stumps before their eyes were in. The run-up was panther-like in its grace, with the right-arm pointing high towards the skies, and the pivot of the shoulders which brought surprising pace and encouraged swing.

Contests between Gary Sobers and Geoffrey Boycott were especially lively as Sobers sought after a break in that stern defence. Boycott, straight bat resisting the 'snake', a battle of wits between skilled opponents without a hint of intimidation or malpractice. Each appreciated the other's ability, each knew the other's purpose.

Sobers was an ever-attacking bowler. He bowled at the stumps with a ring of supporting slips. He was prepared to concede runs for the chance of a wicket. He rarely bowled in defensive vein. His spirit did not run that way. Probably this was one reason he was more comfortable in his faster style rather than in his essentially defensive orthodox spin. Coming into batting, Sobers was a superb craftsman on bad wickets; as adept against fast bowling as he was against spin. He scored over 8,000 runs in Test cricket at an average of nearly 58, despite going in at six as the team's all-rounder and captain. Usually Sobers chased runs almost as soon as he came in, and once in a while he fell early, flashing at a wide half-volley. The physical demands of bowling so many overs forced Sir Gary to adopt a aggressive approach to batting.

Gary Sobers could, of course, play long carefully-constructed innings. Circumstances sometimes required prolonged resistance. And no cricketer can truly be designed 'great' unless he can save games as well as win them. Sobers' most famous rescuing mission was his partnership with his young, inexperienced cousin David Holford at Lord's in 1966. They came together with half the team gone, and a slender lead of nine runs on the board. Conditions were helping England's battery of seamers.

Higgs, Knight, Jeff Jones and Basil D'Oliveira. Sobers launched a counter attack, driving vividly and forcing England captain Colin Cowdrey on to the defensive. With the initiative regained, Sobers and Holford collected runs carefully until, safety achieved, they cut-louse again, enabling Sobers to declare at 369 for 5. Sobers 163, Holford 105.

Sobers regards this as his most valuable innings. Certainly it was one of his most disciplined. England never scented victory again until, with the series in the bag. Close led his team to a massive victory as, first, Graveney and Murray, and then Snow and Higgs, forged vital partnerships. Ever-generous Sobers refused to attribute this heavy defeat to relaxation, preferring the view that his team had been beaten fair and square.