West Indies cricketing great Sir Garry Sobers has died at the age of 89, just 11 days before what would have been his 90th birthday on 28 July. Cricket West Indies confirmed his death on Friday, describing the Barbadian all-rounder as “the greatest all-rounder the game has ever seen.”
Sobers made his first-class debut for Barbados at the age of just 16 in 1953, before going on to play his first match for the West Indies the following year. He went on to represent the West Indies in 93 Test matches between 1954 and 1974, scoring 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78, taking 235 wickets, and holding 109 catches over the course of a career that spanned two decades.
A record-breaking innings
Sobers scored his first Test century in 1958, an unbeaten 365 against Pakistan that stood as the highest individual score in Test cricket history for 36 years, before fellow West Indian Brian Lara surpassed it with 375 in 1994.
A rare all-round talent
Although he began his career as a left-arm spin bowler, Sobers developed into one of the most versatile players the sport has seen, capable of bowling left-arm fast-medium, orthodox spin and wrist spin, while also being widely regarded as one of the finest fielders of his generation. His skill extended beyond Test cricket too: in 1968, playing for Nottinghamshire against Malcolm Nash, he became the first cricketer to hit six sixes in a single over in first-class cricket, a feat that remains one of the sport’s most celebrated moments.
Recognition throughout his career
Sobers was knighted in 1975 in recognition of his services to cricket, and was later inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009. Paying tribute following his death, Cricket West Indies praised his immense contribution to the sport and his lasting influence on generations of cricketers who followed him.
