Sir Garfield sobers - a star legend on the cricket field

By A. C. De Silva

Stars in Cricket: Sir Garfield St. Auburn Sobers was born on July 28 in 1936 in Bay Island, St. Michael Parish, Barbados. Undoubtedly the greatest cricket player of his era (1952 to 1974) and he had the honour of being knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to international cricket. In 1998, Barbados declared him a national hero.

He was born the sixth of seven children. Sobers lost his father - a merchant seasnan when Germans torpedoed his ship.

Sobers first played first class cricket for Barbados at the age 0f 16, playing for Barbados against India. He played first Test match in 1954 against England in Kingston, Jamaica getting 4 wickets. He showed promise during a 1957 English Tour, but it was during the 1957-58 tour of Pakistan where he set the highest Test score of the time by scoring 365 not out.

That gave him the courage to go forward and then he went on to captain the West Indies team in 39 texts between 1965 and 1972. Sobers was also a avid player of basketball, hurt his left knee while playing goalkeeper for Barbados in football.

Sobers took hold of the West Indies after the premature death of Sir Frank Worrell in 1967.

When Garfield Sobers was bowling, he tried everything. He tried bouncing, he tried bowling across, he bowled around the wicket, he bowled seamers and he bowled spinners, he bowled back of the hand stuff and one could not but help admire the versatility of this man. It just seemed that there was nothing in the world which was impossible for him.

Sir Garfield Sobers is widely regarded as cricket's greatest ever allrounder. Having excelled at all the three essential skills of batting, bowling and fielding.

Knighted by Queen

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his services to cricket. He became a dual Barbadian - Austrian citizen through marriage in 1980. The great all-rounder, after his playing days were over for the West Indies, took to coaching and Sri Lanka stood to gain a lot.

Sri Lanka at a certain time had the late Gamini Dissanayake as President of the Board of Control for Cricket and he was instrumental in getting Garfield Sobers to coach the Lankan side.

Top allrounder - left-hand batsman, left-hand bowler and a fine fielder - what more does a side want? Sobers made his Test debut for the West Indies against England at Kingston between March 30 and April 3 in 1954 and his last Test too was against England at Port of Spain between March 30 and April 5 in 1974. He has played in 93 Tests and scored 8,032 runs. With 365 not out as his highest. He made 26 centuries and took 235 wickets.

The capabilities of Sobers with both bat and ball made him a cricketer adored by all.

He can very easily be known as the greatest of all cricketing icons. He officially opened the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 in Jamaica.

He is unquestionably cricket's most accomplished player.

His wonderful deeds on the cricket field was duly recognised by the top rung and Queen Elizabeth knighted him in 1975 for his services to cricket. He also figures in Wisden - the cricketers almanac as one of the finest cricketers of the century in 2000.

He was given the signal honour given to him in 2007 on March 13 to be the Chief Guest at the opening ceremony of the World Cup then. He was honoured by the ICC earlier in 2004 when it announced that the most prestigious individual award in world cricket - the ICC Player of the Year - will be named in honour of the West Indian legend - Sir Garfield Sobers.

Among the awards that Sobers won during his playing career were.

* West Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year: 1958-59.

* Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1964

* The Cricket Society Wetherall Award for the Leading All-Rounder in English First-Class Cricket: 1970

* Walter Lawrence Trophy winner: 1974

* Wisden Cricketer of the Century: 2000

In 2000 Sobers was named by a 100-member panel of experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. He received 90 votes out of a possible 100. The other four cricketers selected for the honour were Don Bradman (100 votes), Jack Hobbs (30), Shane Warne (27) and Viv Richards (25).

ICC inaugurates Sobers Trophy

In 2004, the International Cricket Council (ICC) inaugurated the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy which is awarded annually to the player selected by ICC as its Player of the Year. The recommendation to name the award after Sobers was made by a panel consisting of Richie Benaud, Sunil Gavaskar and Michael Holding, who were asked by the ICC "to select an individual with whom to honour cricket's ultimate individual award".

In 2007 Wisden retrospectively selected the Leading Cricketer in the World for every year dating back to 1900, Sobers was selected for eight years (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964-66, 1968 and 1970). Only Sobers and Bradman (10) received the cheques more than three times.

On one occasion Sobers said: "It is a great honour to have this award named after me, "and added: "I have been fortunate to enjoy a long association with the game that I and millions of others around the world cherish."

There are some performance of Sobers on the cricket field that will not be forgotten. He made a significant rush on cricket history as the batsman who first achieved the perfect six-sixes in one six-ball over. Playing for Nottinghamshire as captain in the England Country Championship match against Glamorgan. The Glamorgan's Malcolm Nash (left-arm seamer) was hit by Sobers for six sixes in one over.

The onslaught

The first two balls of the over were mercilessly heaved over the mid-wicket fence for six-first one out of the ground and the second one into the stand that a had a large crowd. The third one to long-on for six, the fourth to backward square leg, the fifth straight past the bowler for six, then Glamorgan skipper Tony Lewis sent all his fielders to the boundary - and the 6th ball came and it was a straight and quicker one from Nash which was a little short and Sobers who was seeing the ball like a football, pulled it over mid-wicket and out of the ground for six.

The last ball went high over King Edward Road - it was returned the next day by a schoolboy and now the ball occupies pride of place in the Trent Bridge museum. There was also Indian Ravi Shastri who hit six sixes in a side match. It is well worth remembering some Test match performances by Sobers. In his world record score of 365 made against Pakistan in the 1957-58 series, Sobers batted for 10 hours and 14 minutes for that glorious 365 that had 38 fours. With Conrad Hunte who made 260 (run out), Sobers was involved in a second-wicket partnership of 446. It was Sobers' first century in Tests.

Record price

The cricket bat used by Sobers to hit a world record six sixes in a single over has smashed a record price at an auction. Sobers' famous short handled Slazenger fetched 146,875 in Melbourne. Sobers used the bat during a 1968 county cricket match.

Another Sobers' bat, which helped him to clout a record Test score of 365 not out against Pakistan in 1958, was snapped up for 129,250.