Harsh Thakor
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Legend Sir Garfield Sobers is 80 today - greatest of all cricketers?
TRIBUTE TO SIR GARFIELD SOBERS ON HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY TODAY
Today on July 28th,Sir Garfield Sobers turns 80. On his 75 the birthday in this article I am paying a tribute To the Emperor who was born on July 28th 1936.
It is difficult for adjectives to do justice to Sober's genius or portray the true merit of his performances.He was the equivalent of a mIchelangelo or Mozart to the game posessing every component of a perfect cricketer.Sobers was like a sculptor ,boxer and actor rolled into one .Jacqes Kallis may have statistically overshadowed Sobers but in terms of turning the complexion of the game was not in the same league True Kalis was as consistent with the bat a,as effective ion a crisis and could bowl as fast.However Kallis did not posess Sober's cutting edge that defined the course of games,being unable to champion the cause with both ball and bat silmuntaneously.No cricketer has Sober's all-round figures in peak era . Gary Sobers took cricketing genius to it's highest zenith .It was as though God sent him to the earth to play cricket.Whether batting ,bowling or fielding he exuded the presence of a great emperor in command.He could make the impact of a blitzkreig like no cricketer ever in a test career.He was as complete as any of the greatest batsmen with high technical skill,great range of strokes , ability to take an attack to the shreds. and retrieve a sinking ship.Sobers could bowl fast,fast,medium,spin and china man posessing more styles than any bowler.Figures do not do accurate justice to his bowling or even all-round cricketing ability.No all-rounder has eqaulled Sober's 722 runs and 20 wickets in 1966 in England or his 21 wickets and 583 run sin 1970 for rest of the world in England.True Botham ,Miller or Imran at his best may have had more flair as a match-winners but they could not rank with Sobers in terms of all-round consistency in every department.
Gary Sobers was arguably the greatest Cricketer the game has ever seen. With a beautiful atheletic build and 6 feet tall, his trim,lithe body moved with the grace of a bird,so charasterictic of West Indians..He had a charasterictic walk,graceful,relaxed,leaning forward bent at the knees ,and when he came in to the crease it was reminiscent of an Emperor walking in, being greeted by his subjects.He was like a thoroughbred racehorse for whom the rules of handicapping had to be revised. He reminded fans of the great racehorse Arkle-perhaps the greatest steeplechaser of all time. (Significant that Arkle raced in the same era)Quoting cricinfo:While Bradman's status as the greatest batsman is increasingly under threat, no one raises an eyebrow at Garry Sobers being called the greatest allrounder. He broke the record for the highest Test score - 365 - at 21, could bowl left-arm orthodox, wrist spin and fast-medium, and was a brilliant fielder anywhere on the ground. While Bradman's status as the greatest batsman is increasingly under threat, no one raises an eyebrow at Garry Sobers being called the greatest allrounder. He broke the record for the highest Test score - 365 - at 21, could bowl left-arm orthodox, wrist spin and fast-medium, and was a brilliant fielder anywhere on the ground.
Sobers was born on 28th July in 1936 in Barbados. He was the 5th Child in a typically large West Indian family.Little Gary was born with 5 fingers. His father was a merchant seaman who hand no money for Luxuries. However Gary was brought up with all the necessities for a living.3 sons of that family had a great love for Cricket. From the age of 3 Gary played with his brothers. The bats were crude pieces of wood and the sisters sometimes the additional fielders.
Tragically on July 11 th 1942 Gary’s father died when the ship he was travelling in was torpedoed. Gary’s mother now had to bring up six Children.(Another Child was born after Gary)With great responsibility she handled her Children. They were raised in typical Christian fashion. Moral Values were inculcated in them.
Gary played a lot of beach Cricket in his youth. In his childhood he played with a wooden paling. In beach Cricket Sobers gained experience in keeping the ball on the ground, as it was one tuppy out. Gary played with the tennis ball, which has an exceptionally high bounce. Hitting the rising ball with a straight bat, while rolling the wrists on a cross-bat stroke were 2 principles acquired by Gary at that stage. It was similar to a primary student grasping the fundamental mathematical principals .At the Bay Street Primary school Gary was encouraged by Everton Barrow. In Local schools Cricket Gary and his brother Gerry made a big impact. Gerry became captain of the School team. At school Gary learnt carpentry in a furniture making workshop of his neighbour.Through carpentry Gary earned pocket money.The Carpentry shop overlooked the Wanderers Cricket ground where the boys played Cricket. At Wanderers Club Briggs Grandison noticed Gary ‘s talents in both batting and bowling. Dennis Atkinson, a member of the Wanderers Club faced Gary who was sent to bowl by Briggs.Atkinso was so impressed that he gave Gary his first proper bat.
Gary then started to play in the Barbados league, founded in 1937.Gary was selected by Briggs to play for the Bay Land League. Gary bowled superbly in his first game against Kent. Gary then was selected to play for Kent as a slow –left arm bowler. He gave 2 great performances against Sussex taking 6 for 20 and 8 for 17.He also made useful scores with the bat. In 1952 Gary was selected to play for the Police 11.He batted and bowled consistently well. Against the Wanderers he scored 113 not out., where he exhibited his supreme technique in a crisis. Against Lodge School11 he shattered the batting taking 9 wickets for 69 runs and scored a hundred. Gary at 16 made it in the Barbados league where he achieved remarkable figures of 4-50 and 3-92.On a pitch as flat as a pancake Gary derived considerable movements and bounce.
Gary made his test debut against in the fifth test against England at Kingston taking 4 wickets for 75 runs. Against Australia in 1955he was promoted as an opener and made a great assault on the new ball like a tiger pouncing on a deer. He scored 6 boundaries in his first 25 runs. In the series in batting Gary averaged 38 and also finished 2nd in the bowling averages. In 1957-58 Gary made Cricket history .He scored a record 365 not out against Pakistan at Kingston defeating Len Hutton’s record score of 364.An epic had been written that day in the history of the game. Gary batted for 614 mins.He shared arecord West Indian Stand of 446 with Conrad Hunte.He was reminiscent of a mountaineer climbing Mount Everest showing utmost tenacity and endurance. On a fast, Sabina Park wicket Gary played with the authority of a military commander leading a battalion. The bowling was rather weak with the leading bowlers injured but it was still the triumph of temperament.38 boundaries were scored in the innings which was 3 hours less than Len Hutton’s then record of 364 .In that series Sobers scored 824 runs at an average of 137.33.After that between 1958 to 1960 Sobers scored 6 Centuries in 9 tests at an average of over 90.
In 1959 a major tragedy took place in Gary’s life His closest friend Colie Smith expired in an accident while traveling in the same car as Gary. It had a deep psychological effect on Gary was convinced that Colie would become one of Cricket’s greats.In the first test in 1960-61 Skipper Frank Worell had to console him and help him get over it.
After that period Sobers scored over 500 runs in 5 series. Against India in 1958-59 he scored 557 runs at an average of 92.83.Sobers tackled Gupte like a true master and displayed characteristic sound footwork against the turning ball. In England in 1959 against the likes of Trueman and Snow he scored 709 runs at an average of 101.28.In 1960-61 in the first test at Brisbane which ended in a historic tie Sobers played one of the greatest test innings ever seen in the history of the game. The bowling was simply turned into flesh cut by a sword into pieces. Gary simply bisected the most impregnable of fields. The way Gary found the gaps was like a prisoner escaping from a Concentration Camp where the barbed wire fencing and guarding was impenetrable. Gary’s batting that day was like an army making a blistering attack and giving a humiliating defeat to the enemy. In 123 mins of breathtaking domination Gary scored 132.In that series he average 43 runs scoring 430 runs and also took 15 wickets In the final test Sobers bowled a classical; spell of 5 wickets for 120 runs. It was a great exhibition of seam bowling. He also scored another Century scoring 168 at Sydney. Again in England in 1966 he averaged a phenomenal 103.14 scoring 722 runs as well as taking 20 wickets for an average of 27.25.Gary became the 2ndCricketer after Keith Miller to score over 300 runs and take 20 wickets in a series. At Old Trafford he scored 161 in the first test, scored 163 not out at Lords in the 2nd test and then at Leeds scored174 and took 8 wickets for 80 runs. In seaming conditions Sobers played the moving ball like a master. English fans had not seen a left hander punish a Cricket ball harder. He combined his strokeplay with immaculate technique. At Lords West Indies were facing a Crisis at 95 for 5 .Sobers joined his cousin David Holford who looked terrified. However Gary remained as cool as a cucumber advising Holford to play his natural game and take everything in it’s stride. A huge partnership of 274 was made. In this series Gary was the West Indian Captain for the first time. Gary’s disconcerting swing he derived from the seaming conditions caused plenty of problems for the English batting.Compared to other cricketers on the field now Gary Sobers was like an Emperor,surrounded by knights around him. Whether he bowled or batted his presence was like a bomber coming to destroy an airbase. In 1961-62 Gary had joined South Australia where he gave intimidating performances. Ian Chappell recounts how he destroyed spinner Martin John in a series of calculated blows, which looked unbelievable.
In 1967-68 Gary gave some great performances against England. At Kingston at Sabina park he played one of Cricket’s outstanding Innings on a bad wicket. Batting on the pitch which had several cracks was like fighting a battle in the worst of conditions. It was reminiscent of the Russian Army combating the Nazi fascists in the Battle of Stalingrad when all seemed lost. Displaying nerves of steel and the technical precision of a surgeon Sobers scored a great 113His team was tottering at 204 for 5 wickets after following on in the first Innings. He improvised brilliantly. Gary saved his team from the jaws of certain defeat to the brink of a famous victory. He also scored a great 152 at Georgetown. At Trinidad Sobers made a sporting declaration that enabled England to win chasing 215 runs in 232 mins.However Sobers did a great service to sport even if his side lost.
In 1966 Sobers playing for Nottingham shire hit Malcolm Nash for 6 consecutive sixes. It was like an executioner beheading convicts. It was simply a massacre and that day fans saw one of Sport’s greatest spectacles. It was like experiencing the amazement of man landing on the moon. His side was placed at 300 runs for 5 wickets. The first 3 deliveries were smashed high over mid-on,mid-wicket,and mid-off. The 4thwas lifted over square leg. Only before his 5th six did Gary aim for a world record. Gary spliced the 5th ball to the boundary line where the fielder caught the ball but had overstepped the boundary. The last ball was dug in too short and like a soldier thrusting a sword through an enemy soldier’s flesh heaved the delivery out of Swansea. In that Sobers Gary Sobers bat was an executioners sword.
In 1969 at Brisbane Sobers bowled a classical spell of 6 wickets for 73 runs, which won the test for his side.In that series he scored 497 runs and took 18 wickets but he was marginally distracted as he fell in love with an Australiangirl,Pru Kirby.
In 1970-71 Sobers made useful scores against India but lost the series as a captain. He scored useful Centuries but his reputation as a skipper was on the decline.
In 1970 Gary ,for the first time played for the Rest of The World side against England.He averaged 73 runs with an aggregate of 588 and captured 21 wickets at 21 runs apiece.At Lords he gave a magnificient all -round peformance and scored 183 and captured 6-21.Most interestingly Gary bowled better at Leeds but did not capture a wicket!
In 1971-72 in the Rest Of the World against Australia Sobers scored one of Cricket’s Classics. At Melbourne after scoring a duck in the first Innings Sobers launched one of the greatest Exhibitions of counter attacking ever witnessed in the history of the game. He was on a king pair with Lillee at his fastest and most devastating. Like a bomber plane destroying an enemy base Sobers launched a series of blistering drives and hooks. He pierced the long on and long off regions like a sword piercing through a body. The ball was his so hard that even the fielders posted at the long on region were unable to block the ball from climbing over the fence. His knock consisted of 33 boundaries and 3 sixes. Every Cricket stroke in the book was displayed. The lofted straight drive, the square drive of the back foot to both off and leg, the flick of the legs ,the murderous hook and the flowing front foot drive. It was an exhibition worth preserving on video. The timing and footwork in that Innings was that of a machine. The domination of bowling was like seeing thunder on a Cricket field. On that day Sobers combined the role of an artist or executioner.Quoting Sir Don Bradman, "From the first ball Sobers commenced an unrelenting attack on the bowling I was sitting almsot directly behind Lillee as he delivered one of his thunderbolts but Sobers unleashed the most wonderful straight drive which hit the siht-screen almsot before the bowlers fowrad momentum had finished.Gary,finished wit 254,an innigs so marvellous that it was later to be the subject of a special film for wich I was proud tos ee the commentary.It was certainly,the best inningsI ever saw on Australian soila nd I believe the best ever plated in this country.Without any doubt Sobers played fast bowling better than any batsman from any country.Whether it was in attack ,defence,or in evasion his positioning was always perfect and quite relaxed,a tribute to eyesight,co-ordination and judgement. Ray Robinson wrote "Interestingly Lille had bowled Sobers for duck in the first innings and in almost every over before Sober's arrival Lillee looked like taking a Wicket.Now cuts began scudding pact point so rapidly ,that a third man posted almost square on the wide boundary could not intercept them".Alan Davidson wrote"Some of the shots that he palyed that day were breathtaking,especially the staright drives.Dennis hadn't even got through his follow -through and it went back past him."
In 1973 ,in England Gary batted superbly scoring 150 not out at Lords ,literally bowing down to the mecca in his final test innings at Lords . English Crowds were to witness perhaps the greatest batsman since Bradman for the last time. He bid farewell to English fans with a masterly display. In 1973-74 Sobers was unable to win his last series as Captain and was out f in his last Innings at Trinidad where England triumphed by 25 runs. Sobers magic was missing. Cricket’s Christ or Buddha walked back to the pavilion for the last time. When he returned it was like Julius Caesar relinquishing his thrown after adressing Rome for the last time. His impact on Cricket was indescribable.A knee injury , which created a setback in Sober's career forced his retirement .(in 1972 he had to undertake a major operation.)
What was the unique factor in Gary’s outstanding success as a batsman.?Gary was tall and well built, with strong wrists, arms and shoulders. His backlift was both high and straight with a full follow through His strokes had a lovely full swing. Gary’s build and natural strength enabled him to destroy bowling like a lion tearing flesh. Gary hit the bouncers flat and welcomed bouncers. His footwork against bouncers was an exhibition. He played with all the time in the world. Gary felt that on many occasions it is better to give oneself room to play attacking strokes. He would often force Quick bowling with his left foot not kept in a textbook position. The bat may have been away from the body but he could still play, through the line with full, straight swing. When driving off the front foot Gary would sometimes give himself extra room by keeping his right leg outside the line, specially when working the ball square.Gary was a brilliant stroke maker, with an amazing range of Strokes.Gary excelled in the off and straight-drive.His square cut and straight drive were a treat to watch and he had a devastating hook shot.The ball after impact would race like a rocket to the boundary. Sobers had great technique and hit the ball perhaps harder than any batsman as though he was acrrying a bludgeon. No left -hander ever hit the ball harder or exhibited such sound technical prowess.If there was one weakness in his batting it lay in his reluctance to move his feet early in the innings,thus he could be beaten by late swing and high quality spin.
As a bowler Gary was most feared for his fast seam, swing a swerve bowling. He derived speed from a beautiful body action-classically perfect, head overlooking a high right arm and the left arm completing a full arc before following the right arm across his body in a full follow through. His chinaman and googly bowling was at times most effective. Gary often caused trouble for batsman through his disconcerting swing.However what was most unique about Gary that he could deliver 3 varieties of bowling.He could bowl fast,bowl spin and bowl Chinaman.No bowler has ever had sucha a variety.Imagine seeing Andy Sobers come in and bowl spin.Gary also was the most versatile of bowlers bowling fast-medium with great effect as well as bowling left arm spin.He excelled in bowling the China man.With the new ball he was devastating.Often he would bowl in a single session using 3 seperate styles!
He was also a great fielder pulling of the most astonishing of catches ever seen on a Cricket field.In a close catching positions he was truly great and a marvel to watch.On the legside he had razor sharp reflexes.In his time he pulled of some of the most astonishing catches in the slips,and and as outstanding in theoutfield.In the exciting 4th of 1968-69 in Australai at Adelaide,The Aussie Wicketkeeper,Barry Jarman,was un out by Sobers inn classical style.Sobers,fielding about 15 metres from the bat in the gully ,on an angle of 45 degrees behind the wickets.Sobers dashed 4 paces to his left,gathered the ball and flung it with all his might to hit the stumps and leave Jarman run out 3yards short. In the 1st test of 1966 he pulled off one of the game's most astonishing catches,when he caught English Opener Jack Russell at short leg,displaying amazing anticipation who leaped up to Russel's hip-pocket and and caught the ball almost of the bat. It looked more like an acrobat performing a stunr.In the tied test at Brisbane Gary caught Neil Harvey at second slip off Wes Hallwho had to dive sideways and forward to pull of the catch. reducing Australia to 57-5 after being set a target of 233 ru sto win.Many fielder shave dived sideways but very few fielders in the history of the game have dived forward like Gary to pull of a spectacular slip catch.It was an amazing feat considering Wes Hall's devastating speed.
No all rounder of the later eras could be classed with Sober’s.The way he could change the complexion of even a lost game was like lightning and thunder emerging on a Cricket field.The difference between Gary Sobers and other great cricketers was equal to the extent Sir Don Bradman was ahead of other great batsmenArguably the accolade of he greatsest cricketer of the Century selected by Wisden should have gone to Gary Sobers ,ahead of Sir Don Bradman as Sir Don was not an allround Cricketer.Batting,bowling or fielding it almost seemed Gary was giving an exhibition like a gladiator in a stadiumHe was in a different league from theKeth Miller's,Ian Botham’s, Imran Khan’s ,Richard Hadlee’s and Kapil Dev’s.True Jacques Kallis has a test average in batting of around 56 and is statistically close to Gary as a bowler.However Gary played much superior bowling as well as bowled to better batsman.Two Botham's or Imran Khan's would equal he worth of Gary . Their bowling was comparable(Imran and Hadlee were superior as bowlers) but in batting Sobers was on another pedestal.He averaged 20 runs more tha Imran Khan and 24 runs more than Ian Botham.Imran and Hadlee have much better bowling averages averaging 22 runs per wicket against Gary's 34 runs.At his best Botham most compared with Gary ,in my opinion,if one recollects hsi match-winning performances in the Jubilee test in Bombay ,when he took 13 wickets and scored a Century and when he single-handedly won the 1981 Ashes in England.However he lacked consistency and overall ,considering his greatness as a leader ,Imran Khan is most noteworthy of the position,of being 2nd to Sobers..
Personally,I rate Sobers only behind Bradman ,Lara ,Tendulkar,Viv Richards and Hobbs as a batsman.Gary had everything that moulded an almost perfect batsmen.Arguably he was the best left –handed batsman of all time..Sadly critiques wrongly claim that Imran Khan was a rival to Gary but remember that Imran Khan was mainly a fast –bowling allrounder.In pure test cricket to me Sobers was only behind Bradman,Lara and Hobbs or maybe Tendulkar.
.Posessed a phenomenal range of strokes and could annihilate the best of pace and spin attacks.He could champion match-winning and match-saving causes in all conditions.He could also have won a place in a test team as a bowler itself considering his amazing versatility of pace, spin and chinaman.
Statistics simply does not do Sobers justice .Even if Kallis has better figures he could never consistently make such an impact on the course of a match like Sobers. Gary could bowl,fast,medium,spin nad chinaman which no great bowler could d
nly Botham at his best could match Gary as amatch-winner with both ball and bat. At his beset Kallis could never decimate the opposition like Sobers.One must remember that in Gary’s era very few batsmen even averaged above 50 ,infact it was only three.In the modern era atleast 7-8 batsmen average above 50.In Sobers era the bowling strike rates were far lower than today and in that light Sobers bowling compared to his peers was considerably aheadof Kallis.It is significant that in All-round performance ratings Sobers is 6 points ahead of Kallis.Graeme Pollock rates him the best allrounder ever.To Ray Robinson, Sobers was "evolution's ultimate specimen in cricketers". He combined faculties of the game as no other, batting from one to nine in the West Indies order, bowling every variety of left-arm delivery, fielding in every position with uniform excellence and captaining with a knowledge that his predecessor Frank Worrell described as encompassing "everything" - this for two decades, with only the barest attenuation in performance as age encroached.
He had a very sound technique like Sunil Gavaskar or Geoff Boycott,could dominate bowling like a tiger crushing prey like Viv and Barry Richards,,could master bad wickets like Sir George Headley,was a champion in a crisis like Rahul Dravid or Javed Miandad and could stick there for hours like a wall ,as ever-consistent as Ken Barrington, was a great match-winner like Inzamam and above all a great entertainer like Lara or David Gower.In his era Sober’s greatest rival for Supremacy was Rohan Kanhai.In my view Kanhai was marginally superior technically and was a greater stylist with more imagination. He dominated the bowling to an equal extent but Sober’s was ahead with regards to consistency and temperament. Their rivalry was a feature of West IndianCricket in that era ,but still they had mutual respect for one another.Ian Chappell rated him to be the greatest batsman he ever saw and even viewers of the present era like Geoff Boycott and Greg Chappell place Sober’s ahead as a batsman to Lara or Tendulkar’s. Personally I feel he faced superior bowling to them.They may have been equally destructive but in a crisis Sober’s was more reliable. No batsman so ruthlessly punished great pace and attacks with such correct technique and footwork more consistently.Graeme Pollock, the other great left hander of his era may have had superior natural ability ,but I don’t think he dominated pace bowling to the same degree ,particularly the short ball.Pollock played limited test Cricket and never totally proved himself against bouncers and on the leg-side. In contrast Viv Richards may have been more destructive but didn’t match Sobers technical skills or consistency or ability to champion a cause in a crisis.Viv also encountered an inferior level of opostion playing for a world champion team while Gary played against more competitive opposition.Gary Encountered great bowlers like Fred Trueman,John Snow,Brian Statham,Dennis Lillee(played him only in one series) It must be considered that Gary also scored a lot of runs against the weaker attacks of India and Pakistan and averaged only 46 runs away as to 66 at home.Gary also averaged around 40 runs against Australia ,while Tendulkar and Lara average more than 50.Gary alos faced great Englsih bowing and was a chamoion in their conditions.However Gary played at wickets at home that were considerably faster than today's wickets in West Indies.Brian Lara ,true has played more great innings in a crisis and like Sir George Headley has a much higher average percentage score of the team's total score,having had to bear the brunt of the team's batting more than Sir Gary. However he has not equaled Sober's consistency and ability to destroy the best of pace attacks.Sobers could play pure pace bolwing better tha Lara or Tendulkar.In full flow Sobers was like an emperor dictating his knights. It must be said that Sobers batted at no 6 at his best so comparison with the Kanhai’s, Richard’s,Dravid's or the Tendulkar’s may be unfair who played at one or two down. (The one down batsman face a fresh new ball, while the 2 down batsman also face a fresher ball)Above all Sobers played some of the greatest test innings with his team facing a Crisis.He had an outstanding temperament.John Snow rates Gary as the most complete batsmen he has ever bowled to who had every shot in the book.Gary averaged over 100, 4times ina test series and had an average of 77+in tests that his team won.Wisden offficially ranked Sobers 4th in the all-time ratings behind Bradman,Tendulkar and Richards,and other devised ratings have even placed him behind Lara Etc but thatis all debatable.
Sober’s with Wasim Akram and Alan Davidson is the greatest left arm bowler of all time. Akram was definitely faster but with the new ball Gary was arguably equally devastating.Gary could have palyed ina great team only on virtue of his bowling.
Gary Sobers ended his test careerscoring 8,032 runs in 93 tests at an average of 57.78 while took 235 wickets at an average of 34.03 In first class Cricket he scored 28,315 runs at an average of 54.87 with 86 Centuries.For Nottinghamshire .
It is a popular view amongst the current generation to rate Imran or Kallis superior but this is overall, a ridiculuos assumption.Imran was only a great match-winner as a fast bowler and never equaled Sobers with both bat and ball.Kallis is not in the same league as a match-winner nor possesses the same flair.The question that we have to ask us is whether has there actually been an allrounder in the Sober’s league,let alone his equal.Frankly,even stats do not do justice to Gary Sobers.
There has been a tendency of fans to rate Jacques Kallis on par with Gary Sobers because of his statistical achievements.On figures Kalis is the best all-rounder of all time. It must be said that Sobers played in a different era where far fewer test matches were played and batting conditions were more challenging. Sobers also possessed great variation in his bowling possessing even a china-man in his armoury.He could also be devastatingly quick. Kallis perhaps has possessed the same consistency and temperament but still lacked Sober’s ability to change the complexion of a game at his best. It must be said that Kallis has hardly turned games equally with bat and ball.
There is a view that the early Botham,late Imran and Keith Miller were better match-winners. However they never had Sober’s consistency. Critiques claim that Gary was only a match-winner with the bat but in my view Gary at his best was equal to the best of left-arm bowlers ,particularly with the new ball.To me the early Botham was the closest ever to Sobers as a match-winner and cricketer while in consistency as match-winer Miller and Imran were Sober's closest rivals.However morally it is Kallis who is Sober's runner up.
As a cricketer overall I may place Gary ahead of Bradman and just below W.G.Grace.I still don't place Imran ,Tendulkar as an equal of Gary as a cricketer.
It is debatable whether Gary had the same prowess as a skipper.Statistically Frank Worrell and Clive Lloyd outshone Sir Gary ,in this respect.Writers still blame Sir Gary for his declaration in 1968 when he set England a target of 215 runs in 53 overs and England attained the target.I feel he enforced the declaration for the good as sport.The West Indies only won 3 test series under Sober's captaincy in England in 1966 and inIndia in 1966-67.Did he lack the killer instinct and tactical acumen of a skipper like IanChappell or Imran Khan?To me it,just happened tat the West Indian team was on the point of decline in the later 1960's.West Indies lost 2 consecutive series at home against England and India and were defeated in Australia in 1968-69 .In Australia he scored 497 runs and took 18 wickets,but it was to no avail as his team lost 3-1.However he led he Rest of he World teams to series wins in England in 1970 and in Australia in 1972,which consisted of unofficial tests .In 1973 he relinquished his captaincy to Rohan Kanhai.Statistically Gary never had an outstanding record as a captain like Sir Don Bradman or the Great Pakistani allrounder ImranKhan,but that is not always a true reflection.One question to be asked was how inspiring was Sir Gary as a leader.The only blot in his brilliant career was his lack of success as a captain.
Gary had many favourite Cricketers.Although Rohan Kanhai was his rival he rated Rohan on par with Viv Richards and for a position in the one downplace declared a draw betweenViv and Rohan.In 1979 Gary thought Kanhai was the best batsmen of the previous 15 years,rating Kanhai ahead of Vivand Barry Richards.Sunil Gavaskar was the greatest batsmen of modern times in -Gary's opinion.,who has performed well all over the world against the best bowling.In a crisis Gary thought Ian was the best batsmen of his time and rated Ian on top of the batting poll in 1979.Ted Dexter was the best English batsmen Gary thought he played agaisnt who countered great bowling better than Colin Cowdrey or Peter May.Of the front-foot Tom Graveny was the best batsmen Sobers rated.However the batsmen who Sobers admired most was Everton Weekes,at his best as punishing as Bradman.Gary,thought Viv a champion but felt that in later years Viv did not bat as responsibly as he should have and his reflexes slowed down.Gary admired Barry Richards and rated him amongst the top 3 batsmen in the late 1970's. Lara,is rated very highly by Gary,amongst the greatest West Indian batsmen.In his early career Gary thought him better than Sachin but overall he feels it is unfair to compare.He felt that Lara does not think enough about his game and wants to destroy every ball,without using discretion.Lara,to Gary has all the strokes in the book and admired Lara's 277 at Sydney in 1992-93 where he felt Lara's domination of the bowling was complete.When Lara broke his World record score Sir Gary ran out to congragulate him and Cricket witnessed one of it's most touching momentslike an emperor handing a crown to his successor.Gary thought that Boycott was a great asset to his side but batted far too slowly and was far too selfish .Although they were class players Peter May and Greg Chappel did not relish fast bowling,in Gary's opinion.'The most talented batsmen,who never gave justice to his true ability was Lawrence Rowe,technically the soundest of batsmen,'in Gary's view.
The greatest bowlers Sobers rated were Wes Hall,Fred Trueman and Dennis Lillee.Subhash Gupte was rated the best spinner by Gary,ahead of Richie Benaud or Shane Warne of the current era.
Of all rounders Gary thought Keith Miller topped the list,Imran the best all-rounder as skippper and Hadlee ,the best bowler of all allrounders of recent times.However the all round cricketer Gary most admired was Mike Procter,of Soutb Africa,who could have been the best had he got a chance to display his skills to the greatest extent.Tony Greig ,was also revered by Gary.
Gary rated Frank Worell and Ian Chappell,the 2 greatest captains he played with or against.He revered Worrel like a great political leader.." He greatly admired Ian Chappell's ledarship feeling he was an outsatnding tactician amd motivator.
In Gary's view Ian Chappell and Bobby Simpson were great slip fielders, Paul Shean spectacular in the slips,Derk Randall an acrobat at the boundary and Colin bland the greatest thrower of all.As an all-round fielder he thought Clive Lloyd ,outstanding,who was a cover-specialist.He also admired two Indian fielders Gaekwad and Adhikari,who were great shot stoppers against the likes of Weekes and Walcott.
Gary rates the 1963 West Indian team as superior to the team that was on top under Clive Loyd in the late 1970's and early 1980's ,feeling it had more variety. Gary also does not rate the recent Australian teams as the all-time champions."I never saw Bradman's teams play but you don't even have to go back that far," Sobers said. "I don't think they would have even won a single Test against Clive Lloyd's team, to tell you the truth. Look at how the Aussies struggled against Steve Harmison in England. What would they have done against an attack with Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall? The Aussies have done so well for all these years because of two players: Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath
Kerry Packer Word Series Cricket ,introduced in 1977 gained the support of Gary ,feeling it brought money and incentive to the game and improved it overall..He felt that Packer Cricket did more for the development of West Indies Cricket,than anything.Gary did everythig to promote him and was a major adviser and correspondent during the series,having a trophy named after him.
One-day Cricket in Gary's opinion has been detrimental to batsmen's technique ,nor can it realise the potential or do justice to a great bowler.It has however in his opinion lifted the standard of fielding immensely.
Gary was a great sportsman who always walked if he knew he was out.Frank Worrell was revered by Gary for this quality.In today's game which has become so commercial and professinal it is an abject lesson for playing the game in the right spirit.
Gary Sobers Cricket career was not without blemishes.He participated in a double-wicket competitin in Rhodesia and the WEst Indies Government condemned his action.The rascist policies if the White Rhodesian Government were abhorred all over the Carribean.Gary seemed detached from politics.The Workers Voice Newspaper called Gary 'A white,blackman.THe Antugua Star said'Hid deed was a most unkind cut to allthose dedicated to the struggle against racism in all forms.'However few writers like Brunell Jones defended Sobers saying that Gary went to Rhodesia to raise the cause of integration.
Gary,always believed in enjoying life.He had a passion for horse racing and gambled alot.He also drank a lot.Gary believed that Cricketer should enjoy themselves and often went out and socialised in the nights.He felt this made a cricketer perform better."Many have painted an image of a man who was excessively fond of the juice of the grape but this is harsh judgement to pass on one who merely loved to have a drink with his friends. There was a phase in his life when he turned to the bottle for comfort and to forget and he has never made a secret of this. It happened in 1959, after the death of his close friend O.G. "Collie" Smith. Sobers was at the wheel and the accident shook him up as nothing else had. Three days later Collie Smith was dead. The restraining influence gone, Sobers began to drink heavily and he has readily admitted this in his autobiography. Around the same time, he developed an interest in a mild flutter. Nothing compulsive, but it was something that fitted in with his view of life. He was at the courses every now and then and more than anything it helped to fill a vacuum in his life. "(Excerpted from Garfield Sobers memorial website)
If there is anything which is painful to him, it must be the breakdown of his marriage. He was married to an Australian, Prudence Kirby, and their two sons Matthew and Daniel live with him while their daughter, Genevieve, lives with Pru in Melbourne. Sobers met her while she was working for an Australian firm; she had come to England to tape a message to promote Australian fruit. They became friends and married in September 1969. "Gary's sons Matthew and Daniel had different interests.Matthw is a director in a company in Australia working with his stepfather.Daniel,did not excel academically,but was very skilled with his hands. and was excelllent at drawing,painting and making things.He is working very successfuly in Barbados.However though reasonably good cricketers ,they never wanted to pursue the game as a career.
To me Sobers could be compared with the greatest sportsman ever. He also was a great believer in upholding the spirit of the game and his sportsmanshipand unselfishness can never be forgotten.Above all he was a fine human being who always radiated pleasure ,enjoyed the game and did his best to help others. He would always give advise to younger players and also displayed great humility.Overall We may never see the likes of such a player in the game. In the World of Cricket Sobers and Sir Donald Bradman are simply on another pedestal.Appropriately he was knighted in February,1975 a fitting tribute to this Immortal.He rendered his services to the game coaching West Indian Cricketers and also did commentating and reporting world-wide.C.L.R. James probably put it best: "We may some day be able to answer Tolstoy's exasperated and exasperating question: `What is art?', but only when we learn to integrate our vision of Sobers on the back foot through the covers with the outstretched arm of the Olympic Apollo."He went on to say "this superb product of the modern age When shall we see another."
Below is a list of tributes to Sir Gary
On his peformance in the tied test at Brisbane by Alan Davidson"I could name a hundred shots that he palyed of me which were incredible.'I bolwed a slower ball to him and he creame it.Colin Mcdonald was in the covers and it hit him inthe shinsbefore he started to bend and still hit the fence and bounced back 10 yards.It was fortunate it didn't hit Colin flush on the leg or he wouldn't have played again that season.
'Without doubt ,Sir Garfield Sobers was te greatest Cricketer ever He could do everything.When bowling he could bowl spin,could bowl quick,could bowl swing,he could bowl back-of -the -hand Chinaman stuff.I daer say that if he was asked to keepwickets he would have done a very good job with that as well'
SUNIL GAVASKAR
If there has been one better I would have loved to have seen himplay.He had this graet gift.Not only was Sobers the greatset all round Cricketer that ever-lived ,I think he is the greatest Athelete that ever lived.'
DICKIE BIRD
To me,one of the most amazing thing about Bradman is the fact that he is far ahead of the next batsman .Well I would say thee is exactly the same difference between Sobers and the next all-rounder.
IAN CHAPPELL
I'm of the firm belief that peole are put hee to do certain things,like Pele to play football and Muhammad Ali to box.Sobers was put here to play Cricket and payed magnificiently.He was a tremendous sportsman.He enjoyed life to the fullest,but it never affected his cricket.He just went out thee and did everything ina relaxed manner.He could do anything on the cricket field,Ihaven't seen anyone since,and I don't think there is ayone before him,who could compare.
TONY COZIER
To bat for your life I would select Boycott,Ian Chappel orBasil D'Oliveria.For strokeplay I would choose Viv and Barry Richards.However overall I would choose Gry Sobers who had it all.
DEREK UNDERWOOD
No cricketer has so often and so easily reached sublime heights as batsman, bowler and fielder as Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, a lithe Barbadian of sunny temperament who found cricket as easy as walking. There was about him that air of supreme natural talent that has only been equalled in any sport since by Tiger Woods
CRISTOPHER MARTIN JENKINS
Written with reference from Trevor Bailey's biography of Gary Sobers and Gary Sobers Autobiography with Brian Scovell.
Also reference to 'E S P.N Legends of Cricket' by Geoff Armstrong.and profile in 'Barclays World of Cricket'
BELOW ARE EXCERPTS FROM INTERVIEWS IN CRICKET MONTHLY OF JULY 2016 The greatest all-round cricketer that ever was and may ever be. As a tribute on his 80th birthday we invited his team-mates, opponents and observers to share their memories of Garry Sobers. Bottom line: he was a genius like no other (and loads of fun too).
Everton Weekes, former West Indies batsman
I have seen Garry Sobers since he was a 12-year-old boy growing up in Barbados. I had only started playing for West Indies then. Soon after that he joined us in the West Indies dressing room as a 17-year-old youngster. I remember him saying he was more nervous sitting in the dressing room than running around the field because of seeing himself sit next to the name players.
We never had to teach him anything. He taught himself. He started making runs, taking wickets and holding catches to overcome that nervousness.
The only thing I once told him is when we were batting together in England. Frank Tyson, who was supposed to be the fastest bowler in the world at the time, was bowling to Garry, who had a very high backlift. I told him to be careful otherwise Tyson could get him with a yorker. Oh yes, he survived.
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Ian Chappell, former Australia captain
A lot of people thought of Sobers as a natural who just played the game and did not think a hell of a lot about what he did. But he was very thoughtful. In fact, once, Mosman, the club in Sydney, was looking for a coach and the president had dinner with him and said, "Garry, we would love to have you as a coach, but you haven't got the qualifications." Garry said to him: "What did you think I got my knighthood for?"
He helped me a lot with my batting when I was an 18-year-old kid. I said to him, "I've obviously got a bit of a problem here, Garry. Have you got any suggestions?" He said, "Go get a bottle of beer, son. And I will talk to you." He told me three things in those very early days and I did them for the rest of my career and they were a big help. He told me to take a leg-stump guard instead of middle, because I got back and across, same as him. He said also because I went back and across, I'd be better off batting just a little bit out of the crease instead of batting one foot either side of the crease. I don't remember the third thing now, but it was helpful.
"Garry, we would love to have you as a coach, but you haven't got the qualifications." Garry said: "What did you think I got my knighthood for?"
There is another great story. They were playing in England and Geoff Boycott came to him one day and said, "Garry, you seem to get me out lbw a lot. I don't understand it." Garry was quite good psychologically as well. He said to Boycott, "Unlike a lot of people, Geoffrey, I don't think your technique is that good." That would have cut Boycott to the quick because he prided himself on his technique. "Your front foot is too far across. You can't get your bat around your pad and my inswinger gets you lbw. That's what is happening."
They go out on the field next day. Boycott is batting. Sobers runs up, bowls the first ball, angles it across, Boycott edges, gets caught at slip. As he is walking off, Sobey says to him, "Geoffrey, you didn't ask me about the other one."
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Ian McDonald, West Indian poet, columnist and novelist
Of course I remember Sobers in the field of play as the greatest cricketer who ever lived - batting touched by imagination beyond textbook; bowling full of creativity, fast or swing or slow or chinaman; fielding the quick-silverest of all men close to the wicket. An unmatchable life force, all eyes turning to him in action, the unforgettable privilege of seeing him. But I remember him also as an overflowing fountain of life in the marrow of his being. Seizing the moment, burnishing it in the fire of his youth.
July 2016
The greatest all-round cricketer that ever was and may ever be. As a tribute on his 80th birthday we invited his team-mates, opponents and observers to share their memories of Garry Sobers. Bottom line: he was a genius like no other (and loads of fun too).
Everton Weekes, former West Indies batsman
I have seen Garry Sobers since he was a 12-year-old boy growing up in Barbados. I had only started playing for West Indies then. Soon after that he joined us in the West Indies dressing room as a 17-year-old youngster. I remember him saying he was more nervous sitting in the dressing room than running around the field because of seeing himself sit next to the name players.
We never had to teach him anything. He taught himself. He started making runs, taking wickets and holding catches to overcome that nervousness.
The only thing I once told him is when we were batting together in England. Frank Tyson, who was supposed to be the fastest bowler in the world at the time, was bowling to Garry, who had a very high backlift. I told him to be careful otherwise Tyson could get him with a yorker. Oh yes, he survived.
****
Ian Chappell, former Australia captain
A lot of people thought of Sobers as a natural who just played the game and did not think a hell of a lot about what he did. But he was very thoughtful. In fact, once, Mosman, the club in Sydney, was looking for a coach and the president had dinner with him and said, "Garry, we would love to have you as a coach, but you haven't got the qualifications." Garry said to him: "What did you think I got my knighthood for?"
He helped me a lot with my batting when I was an 18-year-old kid. I said to him, "I've obviously got a bit of a problem here, Garry. Have you got any suggestions?" He said, "Go get a bottle of beer, son. And I will talk to you." He told me three things in those very early days and I did them for the rest of my career and they were a big help. He told me to take a leg-stump guard instead of middle, because I got back and across, same as him. He said also because I went back and across, I'd be better off batting just a little bit out of the crease instead of batting one foot either side of the crease. I don't remember the third thing now, but it was helpful.
"Garry, we would love to have you as a coach, but you haven't got the qualifications." Garry said: "What did you think I got my knighthood for?"
There is another great story. They were playing in England and Geoff Boycott came to him one day and said, "Garry, you seem to get me out lbw a lot. I don't understand it." Garry was quite good psychologically as well. He said to Boycott, "Unlike a lot of people, Geoffrey, I don't think your technique is that good." That would have cut Boycott to the quick because he prided himself on his technique. "Your front foot is too far across. You can't get your bat around your pad and my inswinger gets you lbw. That's what is happening."
They go out on the field next day. Boycott is batting. Sobers runs up, bowls the first ball, angles it across, Boycott edges, gets caught at slip. As he is walking off, Sobey says to him, "Geoffrey, you didn't ask me about the other one."
****
Ian McDonald, West Indian poet, columnist and novelist
Of course I remember Sobers in the field of play as the greatest cricketer who ever lived - batting touched by imagination beyond textbook; bowling full of creativity, fast or swing or slow or chinaman; fielding the quick-silverest of all men close to the wicket. An unmatchable life force, all eyes turning to him in action, the unforgettable privilege of seeing him. But I remember him also as an overflowing fountain of life in the marrow of his being. Seizing the moment, burnishing it in the fire of his youth.
Play hard, party harder: Sobers joins the Australians for drinks in the dressing room
Play hard, party harder: Sobers joins the Australians for drinks in the dressing room © Getty Images
At a party with Sobers one night in the middle of a Test match at Bourda - the party seemed to have come to an end at about 3am at a friend's home. Back to the hotel now. But Sobers was restless. Someone mentioned a recently opened nightspot. "Man, nobody going to tell me a place call The Crimson Cabbage and I never pay a visit! It have a little time, le' we go take a little look!" Well, I suppose there was indeed a little time left before start of play. Life's net practice also is important. Someone can look it up, Sobers scored a big century later that day, flashing boundaries off side, on side, overhead, elsewhere not of this mortal world.
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Ted Dexter, former England captain
When playing for South Australia, who had never won the Sheffield Shield, there was a player meeting before their final match. How to bowl at so-and-so? "Leave him to me," came a West Indian voice from the corner. How to play certain bowlers? "No worries, man, I get plenty of runs." Like any good pro, he obliged with a huge score, the wickets of key upper-order batsmen, oh, and a handful of catches too. "No worries, man. Leave it to me!"
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Glenn Turner, former New Zealand captain
I played against Sobey quite a bit in county cricket. One occasion, where Worcestershire were playing Nottinghamshire, he picked one ball and hit it down the fielder's throat at deep-backward square leg. When we came together as a group at the fall of his wicket, Basil D'Oliveira said to us, "I'll bet you when Sobey goes past the guy that caught him on the way to the pavilion he will say, 'I didn't see you down there, maan.'" We asked the fielder and he confirmed that was exactly what Sobey said to him. He had such confidence in himself always that he was struggling with the fact that he could get out.
"Garry bowled six of the most beautiful left-arm outswingers. Clive Lloyd was batting, I think, in the 70s. He could not get even a touch" Farokh Engineer
When he first came to England he did not feel the need to use the thigh pad. He used to say, "What do you have your bat for?" But after being hit in the thigh a fair number of times with the ball nipping nicely into his legs in English conditions, he put it on.
We know that Garry Sobers could do anything on the field and even off it. But these little quirky stories point out the man was just like one of us, except he could do great deeds.
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Alan Davidson, former Australia allrounder
The 1960-61 series had two wonderful captains: Frank Worrell and Richie Benaud, both of whom were prepared to play cricket for cricket's sake. In that West Indies side were Rohan Kanhai, Conrad Hunte, the great Wes Hall and an emerging bloke called Lance Gibbs. But the bloke who stood out above all of them was a fellow called Sobers. Garfield Sobers. The bloke could do just about anything on a cricket field except umpire. He was a complete cricketer, magnificent fielder, bowled all types of bowling, and when in form, he absolutely decimated great bowling attacks. You could not set a field to him because he just had that innate ability to be able to score runs whenever he wanted to.
In the tied Test in Brisbane he scored a century where he just bisected the field and it was absolutely one of the greatest innings I have ever seen in my life. He didn't just beat the field. He split the field. His placement was just incredible.
In the second dig I just thought I would try something a little bit different. I eventually got him with a yorker. In the previous overs I'd bowled slow at him, varying my pace before I delivered the fast yorker, and it got through him. My emotions got the better of me; I was over-elated, because he was such a dominant batsman. When he was in form, a lot of bowlers used to give up on him. If he is hitting your best ball for a four then you know he is going to massacre you.
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John Benaud, former Australia batsman
It is a fresh memory still. Sobey was lurking at backward short-leg when I was facing Intikhab Alam at the MCG against the World XI. Inti was a pretty clever legspinner. He bowled a wrong'un to me. I thought it was a topspinner and it went sharply off the inside edge. In those days you were more likely to find someone at backward short-leg off a spinner than these days. Sobey was right in my hip pocket. It was a sharp chance. He just plucked it with his left hand, a one-handed catch low to the ground.
Mike Procter, former South Africa allrounder
He is such a likeable guy. In 1970, in the first Test at Lord's between Rest of the World and England, he was our captain. He was just so natural. Sobey played out of his skin: he scored 180-odd and took so many wickets [eight]. I knew him from county cricket, but just to see him play like that against the best in the world, as England were then, he was unbelievable. He got wickets with seam, with spin. In the end we won. And the best part came when at the end he just said, "Okay guys, see you at Trent Bridge." It was like nothing had happened.
At The Oval, in the final Test, on a turning pitch we needed about 20 runs chasing 200-plus [284]. I was privileged to join him at the end. He was again so natural, dealing with the bowling on a very, very difficult wicket. He did not exaggerate his shots, just played them, knocked off the winning runs and away he went. His attitude was unbelievable.
All interviews by Nagraj Gollapudi except McDonald, Dexter, Baksh and Nicholas, who wrote in
TRIBUTE TO SIR GARFIELD SOBERS ON HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY TODAY
Today on July 28th,Sir Garfield Sobers turns 80. On his 75 the birthday in this article I am paying a tribute To the Emperor who was born on July 28th 1936.
It is difficult for adjectives to do justice to Sober's genius or portray the true merit of his performances.He was the equivalent of a mIchelangelo or Mozart to the game posessing every component of a perfect cricketer.Sobers was like a sculptor ,boxer and actor rolled into one .Jacqes Kallis may have statistically overshadowed Sobers but in terms of turning the complexion of the game was not in the same league True Kalis was as consistent with the bat a,as effective ion a crisis and could bowl as fast.However Kallis did not posess Sober's cutting edge that defined the course of games,being unable to champion the cause with both ball and bat silmuntaneously.No cricketer has Sober's all-round figures in peak era . Gary Sobers took cricketing genius to it's highest zenith .It was as though God sent him to the earth to play cricket.Whether batting ,bowling or fielding he exuded the presence of a great emperor in command.He could make the impact of a blitzkreig like no cricketer ever in a test career.He was as complete as any of the greatest batsmen with high technical skill,great range of strokes , ability to take an attack to the shreds. and retrieve a sinking ship.Sobers could bowl fast,fast,medium,spin and china man posessing more styles than any bowler.Figures do not do accurate justice to his bowling or even all-round cricketing ability.No all-rounder has eqaulled Sober's 722 runs and 20 wickets in 1966 in England or his 21 wickets and 583 run sin 1970 for rest of the world in England.True Botham ,Miller or Imran at his best may have had more flair as a match-winners but they could not rank with Sobers in terms of all-round consistency in every department.
Gary Sobers was arguably the greatest Cricketer the game has ever seen. With a beautiful atheletic build and 6 feet tall, his trim,lithe body moved with the grace of a bird,so charasterictic of West Indians..He had a charasterictic walk,graceful,relaxed,leaning forward bent at the knees ,and when he came in to the crease it was reminiscent of an Emperor walking in, being greeted by his subjects.He was like a thoroughbred racehorse for whom the rules of handicapping had to be revised. He reminded fans of the great racehorse Arkle-perhaps the greatest steeplechaser of all time. (Significant that Arkle raced in the same era)Quoting cricinfo:While Bradman's status as the greatest batsman is increasingly under threat, no one raises an eyebrow at Garry Sobers being called the greatest allrounder. He broke the record for the highest Test score - 365 - at 21, could bowl left-arm orthodox, wrist spin and fast-medium, and was a brilliant fielder anywhere on the ground. While Bradman's status as the greatest batsman is increasingly under threat, no one raises an eyebrow at Garry Sobers being called the greatest allrounder. He broke the record for the highest Test score - 365 - at 21, could bowl left-arm orthodox, wrist spin and fast-medium, and was a brilliant fielder anywhere on the ground.
Sobers was born on 28th July in 1936 in Barbados. He was the 5th Child in a typically large West Indian family.Little Gary was born with 5 fingers. His father was a merchant seaman who hand no money for Luxuries. However Gary was brought up with all the necessities for a living.3 sons of that family had a great love for Cricket. From the age of 3 Gary played with his brothers. The bats were crude pieces of wood and the sisters sometimes the additional fielders.
Tragically on July 11 th 1942 Gary’s father died when the ship he was travelling in was torpedoed. Gary’s mother now had to bring up six Children.(Another Child was born after Gary)With great responsibility she handled her Children. They were raised in typical Christian fashion. Moral Values were inculcated in them.
Gary played a lot of beach Cricket in his youth. In his childhood he played with a wooden paling. In beach Cricket Sobers gained experience in keeping the ball on the ground, as it was one tuppy out. Gary played with the tennis ball, which has an exceptionally high bounce. Hitting the rising ball with a straight bat, while rolling the wrists on a cross-bat stroke were 2 principles acquired by Gary at that stage. It was similar to a primary student grasping the fundamental mathematical principals .At the Bay Street Primary school Gary was encouraged by Everton Barrow. In Local schools Cricket Gary and his brother Gerry made a big impact. Gerry became captain of the School team. At school Gary learnt carpentry in a furniture making workshop of his neighbour.Through carpentry Gary earned pocket money.The Carpentry shop overlooked the Wanderers Cricket ground where the boys played Cricket. At Wanderers Club Briggs Grandison noticed Gary ‘s talents in both batting and bowling. Dennis Atkinson, a member of the Wanderers Club faced Gary who was sent to bowl by Briggs.Atkinso was so impressed that he gave Gary his first proper bat.
Gary then started to play in the Barbados league, founded in 1937.Gary was selected by Briggs to play for the Bay Land League. Gary bowled superbly in his first game against Kent. Gary then was selected to play for Kent as a slow –left arm bowler. He gave 2 great performances against Sussex taking 6 for 20 and 8 for 17.He also made useful scores with the bat. In 1952 Gary was selected to play for the Police 11.He batted and bowled consistently well. Against the Wanderers he scored 113 not out., where he exhibited his supreme technique in a crisis. Against Lodge School11 he shattered the batting taking 9 wickets for 69 runs and scored a hundred. Gary at 16 made it in the Barbados league where he achieved remarkable figures of 4-50 and 3-92.On a pitch as flat as a pancake Gary derived considerable movements and bounce.
Gary made his test debut against in the fifth test against England at Kingston taking 4 wickets for 75 runs. Against Australia in 1955he was promoted as an opener and made a great assault on the new ball like a tiger pouncing on a deer. He scored 6 boundaries in his first 25 runs. In the series in batting Gary averaged 38 and also finished 2nd in the bowling averages. In 1957-58 Gary made Cricket history .He scored a record 365 not out against Pakistan at Kingston defeating Len Hutton’s record score of 364.An epic had been written that day in the history of the game. Gary batted for 614 mins.He shared arecord West Indian Stand of 446 with Conrad Hunte.He was reminiscent of a mountaineer climbing Mount Everest showing utmost tenacity and endurance. On a fast, Sabina Park wicket Gary played with the authority of a military commander leading a battalion. The bowling was rather weak with the leading bowlers injured but it was still the triumph of temperament.38 boundaries were scored in the innings which was 3 hours less than Len Hutton’s then record of 364 .In that series Sobers scored 824 runs at an average of 137.33.After that between 1958 to 1960 Sobers scored 6 Centuries in 9 tests at an average of over 90.
In 1959 a major tragedy took place in Gary’s life His closest friend Colie Smith expired in an accident while traveling in the same car as Gary. It had a deep psychological effect on Gary was convinced that Colie would become one of Cricket’s greats.In the first test in 1960-61 Skipper Frank Worell had to console him and help him get over it.
After that period Sobers scored over 500 runs in 5 series. Against India in 1958-59 he scored 557 runs at an average of 92.83.Sobers tackled Gupte like a true master and displayed characteristic sound footwork against the turning ball. In England in 1959 against the likes of Trueman and Snow he scored 709 runs at an average of 101.28.In 1960-61 in the first test at Brisbane which ended in a historic tie Sobers played one of the greatest test innings ever seen in the history of the game. The bowling was simply turned into flesh cut by a sword into pieces. Gary simply bisected the most impregnable of fields. The way Gary found the gaps was like a prisoner escaping from a Concentration Camp where the barbed wire fencing and guarding was impenetrable. Gary’s batting that day was like an army making a blistering attack and giving a humiliating defeat to the enemy. In 123 mins of breathtaking domination Gary scored 132.In that series he average 43 runs scoring 430 runs and also took 15 wickets In the final test Sobers bowled a classical; spell of 5 wickets for 120 runs. It was a great exhibition of seam bowling. He also scored another Century scoring 168 at Sydney. Again in England in 1966 he averaged a phenomenal 103.14 scoring 722 runs as well as taking 20 wickets for an average of 27.25.Gary became the 2ndCricketer after Keith Miller to score over 300 runs and take 20 wickets in a series. At Old Trafford he scored 161 in the first test, scored 163 not out at Lords in the 2nd test and then at Leeds scored174 and took 8 wickets for 80 runs. In seaming conditions Sobers played the moving ball like a master. English fans had not seen a left hander punish a Cricket ball harder. He combined his strokeplay with immaculate technique. At Lords West Indies were facing a Crisis at 95 for 5 .Sobers joined his cousin David Holford who looked terrified. However Gary remained as cool as a cucumber advising Holford to play his natural game and take everything in it’s stride. A huge partnership of 274 was made. In this series Gary was the West Indian Captain for the first time. Gary’s disconcerting swing he derived from the seaming conditions caused plenty of problems for the English batting.Compared to other cricketers on the field now Gary Sobers was like an Emperor,surrounded by knights around him. Whether he bowled or batted his presence was like a bomber coming to destroy an airbase. In 1961-62 Gary had joined South Australia where he gave intimidating performances. Ian Chappell recounts how he destroyed spinner Martin John in a series of calculated blows, which looked unbelievable.
In 1967-68 Gary gave some great performances against England. At Kingston at Sabina park he played one of Cricket’s outstanding Innings on a bad wicket. Batting on the pitch which had several cracks was like fighting a battle in the worst of conditions. It was reminiscent of the Russian Army combating the Nazi fascists in the Battle of Stalingrad when all seemed lost. Displaying nerves of steel and the technical precision of a surgeon Sobers scored a great 113His team was tottering at 204 for 5 wickets after following on in the first Innings. He improvised brilliantly. Gary saved his team from the jaws of certain defeat to the brink of a famous victory. He also scored a great 152 at Georgetown. At Trinidad Sobers made a sporting declaration that enabled England to win chasing 215 runs in 232 mins.However Sobers did a great service to sport even if his side lost.
In 1966 Sobers playing for Nottingham shire hit Malcolm Nash for 6 consecutive sixes. It was like an executioner beheading convicts. It was simply a massacre and that day fans saw one of Sport’s greatest spectacles. It was like experiencing the amazement of man landing on the moon. His side was placed at 300 runs for 5 wickets. The first 3 deliveries were smashed high over mid-on,mid-wicket,and mid-off. The 4thwas lifted over square leg. Only before his 5th six did Gary aim for a world record. Gary spliced the 5th ball to the boundary line where the fielder caught the ball but had overstepped the boundary. The last ball was dug in too short and like a soldier thrusting a sword through an enemy soldier’s flesh heaved the delivery out of Swansea. In that Sobers Gary Sobers bat was an executioners sword.
In 1969 at Brisbane Sobers bowled a classical spell of 6 wickets for 73 runs, which won the test for his side.In that series he scored 497 runs and took 18 wickets but he was marginally distracted as he fell in love with an Australiangirl,Pru Kirby.
In 1970-71 Sobers made useful scores against India but lost the series as a captain. He scored useful Centuries but his reputation as a skipper was on the decline.
In 1970 Gary ,for the first time played for the Rest of The World side against England.He averaged 73 runs with an aggregate of 588 and captured 21 wickets at 21 runs apiece.At Lords he gave a magnificient all -round peformance and scored 183 and captured 6-21.Most interestingly Gary bowled better at Leeds but did not capture a wicket!
In 1971-72 in the Rest Of the World against Australia Sobers scored one of Cricket’s Classics. At Melbourne after scoring a duck in the first Innings Sobers launched one of the greatest Exhibitions of counter attacking ever witnessed in the history of the game. He was on a king pair with Lillee at his fastest and most devastating. Like a bomber plane destroying an enemy base Sobers launched a series of blistering drives and hooks. He pierced the long on and long off regions like a sword piercing through a body. The ball was his so hard that even the fielders posted at the long on region were unable to block the ball from climbing over the fence. His knock consisted of 33 boundaries and 3 sixes. Every Cricket stroke in the book was displayed. The lofted straight drive, the square drive of the back foot to both off and leg, the flick of the legs ,the murderous hook and the flowing front foot drive. It was an exhibition worth preserving on video. The timing and footwork in that Innings was that of a machine. The domination of bowling was like seeing thunder on a Cricket field. On that day Sobers combined the role of an artist or executioner.Quoting Sir Don Bradman, "From the first ball Sobers commenced an unrelenting attack on the bowling I was sitting almsot directly behind Lillee as he delivered one of his thunderbolts but Sobers unleashed the most wonderful straight drive which hit the siht-screen almsot before the bowlers fowrad momentum had finished.Gary,finished wit 254,an innigs so marvellous that it was later to be the subject of a special film for wich I was proud tos ee the commentary.It was certainly,the best inningsI ever saw on Australian soila nd I believe the best ever plated in this country.Without any doubt Sobers played fast bowling better than any batsman from any country.Whether it was in attack ,defence,or in evasion his positioning was always perfect and quite relaxed,a tribute to eyesight,co-ordination and judgement. Ray Robinson wrote "Interestingly Lille had bowled Sobers for duck in the first innings and in almost every over before Sober's arrival Lillee looked like taking a Wicket.Now cuts began scudding pact point so rapidly ,that a third man posted almost square on the wide boundary could not intercept them".Alan Davidson wrote"Some of the shots that he palyed that day were breathtaking,especially the staright drives.Dennis hadn't even got through his follow -through and it went back past him."
In 1973 ,in England Gary batted superbly scoring 150 not out at Lords ,literally bowing down to the mecca in his final test innings at Lords . English Crowds were to witness perhaps the greatest batsman since Bradman for the last time. He bid farewell to English fans with a masterly display. In 1973-74 Sobers was unable to win his last series as Captain and was out f in his last Innings at Trinidad where England triumphed by 25 runs. Sobers magic was missing. Cricket’s Christ or Buddha walked back to the pavilion for the last time. When he returned it was like Julius Caesar relinquishing his thrown after adressing Rome for the last time. His impact on Cricket was indescribable.A knee injury , which created a setback in Sober's career forced his retirement .(in 1972 he had to undertake a major operation.)
What was the unique factor in Gary’s outstanding success as a batsman.?Gary was tall and well built, with strong wrists, arms and shoulders. His backlift was both high and straight with a full follow through His strokes had a lovely full swing. Gary’s build and natural strength enabled him to destroy bowling like a lion tearing flesh. Gary hit the bouncers flat and welcomed bouncers. His footwork against bouncers was an exhibition. He played with all the time in the world. Gary felt that on many occasions it is better to give oneself room to play attacking strokes. He would often force Quick bowling with his left foot not kept in a textbook position. The bat may have been away from the body but he could still play, through the line with full, straight swing. When driving off the front foot Gary would sometimes give himself extra room by keeping his right leg outside the line, specially when working the ball square.Gary was a brilliant stroke maker, with an amazing range of Strokes.Gary excelled in the off and straight-drive.His square cut and straight drive were a treat to watch and he had a devastating hook shot.The ball after impact would race like a rocket to the boundary. Sobers had great technique and hit the ball perhaps harder than any batsman as though he was acrrying a bludgeon. No left -hander ever hit the ball harder or exhibited such sound technical prowess.If there was one weakness in his batting it lay in his reluctance to move his feet early in the innings,thus he could be beaten by late swing and high quality spin.
As a bowler Gary was most feared for his fast seam, swing a swerve bowling. He derived speed from a beautiful body action-classically perfect, head overlooking a high right arm and the left arm completing a full arc before following the right arm across his body in a full follow through. His chinaman and googly bowling was at times most effective. Gary often caused trouble for batsman through his disconcerting swing.However what was most unique about Gary that he could deliver 3 varieties of bowling.He could bowl fast,bowl spin and bowl Chinaman.No bowler has ever had sucha a variety.Imagine seeing Andy Sobers come in and bowl spin.Gary also was the most versatile of bowlers bowling fast-medium with great effect as well as bowling left arm spin.He excelled in bowling the China man.With the new ball he was devastating.Often he would bowl in a single session using 3 seperate styles!
He was also a great fielder pulling of the most astonishing of catches ever seen on a Cricket field.In a close catching positions he was truly great and a marvel to watch.On the legside he had razor sharp reflexes.In his time he pulled of some of the most astonishing catches in the slips,and and as outstanding in theoutfield.In the exciting 4th of 1968-69 in Australai at Adelaide,The Aussie Wicketkeeper,Barry Jarman,was un out by Sobers inn classical style.Sobers,fielding about 15 metres from the bat in the gully ,on an angle of 45 degrees behind the wickets.Sobers dashed 4 paces to his left,gathered the ball and flung it with all his might to hit the stumps and leave Jarman run out 3yards short. In the 1st test of 1966 he pulled off one of the game's most astonishing catches,when he caught English Opener Jack Russell at short leg,displaying amazing anticipation who leaped up to Russel's hip-pocket and and caught the ball almost of the bat. It looked more like an acrobat performing a stunr.In the tied test at Brisbane Gary caught Neil Harvey at second slip off Wes Hallwho had to dive sideways and forward to pull of the catch. reducing Australia to 57-5 after being set a target of 233 ru sto win.Many fielder shave dived sideways but very few fielders in the history of the game have dived forward like Gary to pull of a spectacular slip catch.It was an amazing feat considering Wes Hall's devastating speed.
No all rounder of the later eras could be classed with Sober’s.The way he could change the complexion of even a lost game was like lightning and thunder emerging on a Cricket field.The difference between Gary Sobers and other great cricketers was equal to the extent Sir Don Bradman was ahead of other great batsmenArguably the accolade of he greatsest cricketer of the Century selected by Wisden should have gone to Gary Sobers ,ahead of Sir Don Bradman as Sir Don was not an allround Cricketer.Batting,bowling or fielding it almost seemed Gary was giving an exhibition like a gladiator in a stadiumHe was in a different league from theKeth Miller's,Ian Botham’s, Imran Khan’s ,Richard Hadlee’s and Kapil Dev’s.True Jacques Kallis has a test average in batting of around 56 and is statistically close to Gary as a bowler.However Gary played much superior bowling as well as bowled to better batsman.Two Botham's or Imran Khan's would equal he worth of Gary . Their bowling was comparable(Imran and Hadlee were superior as bowlers) but in batting Sobers was on another pedestal.He averaged 20 runs more tha Imran Khan and 24 runs more than Ian Botham.Imran and Hadlee have much better bowling averages averaging 22 runs per wicket against Gary's 34 runs.At his best Botham most compared with Gary ,in my opinion,if one recollects hsi match-winning performances in the Jubilee test in Bombay ,when he took 13 wickets and scored a Century and when he single-handedly won the 1981 Ashes in England.However he lacked consistency and overall ,considering his greatness as a leader ,Imran Khan is most noteworthy of the position,of being 2nd to Sobers..
Personally,I rate Sobers only behind Bradman ,Lara ,Tendulkar,Viv Richards and Hobbs as a batsman.Gary had everything that moulded an almost perfect batsmen.Arguably he was the best left –handed batsman of all time..Sadly critiques wrongly claim that Imran Khan was a rival to Gary but remember that Imran Khan was mainly a fast –bowling allrounder.In pure test cricket to me Sobers was only behind Bradman,Lara and Hobbs or maybe Tendulkar.
.Posessed a phenomenal range of strokes and could annihilate the best of pace and spin attacks.He could champion match-winning and match-saving causes in all conditions.He could also have won a place in a test team as a bowler itself considering his amazing versatility of pace, spin and chinaman.
Statistics simply does not do Sobers justice .Even if Kallis has better figures he could never consistently make such an impact on the course of a match like Sobers. Gary could bowl,fast,medium,spin nad chinaman which no great bowler could d
nly Botham at his best could match Gary as amatch-winner with both ball and bat. At his beset Kallis could never decimate the opposition like Sobers.One must remember that in Gary’s era very few batsmen even averaged above 50 ,infact it was only three.In the modern era atleast 7-8 batsmen average above 50.In Sobers era the bowling strike rates were far lower than today and in that light Sobers bowling compared to his peers was considerably aheadof Kallis.It is significant that in All-round performance ratings Sobers is 6 points ahead of Kallis.Graeme Pollock rates him the best allrounder ever.To Ray Robinson, Sobers was "evolution's ultimate specimen in cricketers". He combined faculties of the game as no other, batting from one to nine in the West Indies order, bowling every variety of left-arm delivery, fielding in every position with uniform excellence and captaining with a knowledge that his predecessor Frank Worrell described as encompassing "everything" - this for two decades, with only the barest attenuation in performance as age encroached.He had a very sound technique like Sunil Gavaskar or Geoff Boycott,could dominate bowling like a tiger crushing prey like Viv and Barry Richards,,could master bad wickets like Sir George Headley,was a champion in a crisis like Rahul Dravid or Javed Miandad and could stick there for hours like a wall ,as ever-consistent as Ken Barrington, was a great match-winner like Inzamam and above all a great entertainer like Lara or David Gower.In his era Sober’s greatest rival for Supremacy was Rohan Kanhai.In my view Kanhai was marginally superior technically and was a greater stylist with more imagination. He dominated the bowling to an equal extent but Sober’s was ahead with regards to consistency and temperament. Their rivalry was a feature of West IndianCricket in that era ,but still they had mutual respect for one another.Ian Chappell rated him to be the greatest batsman he ever saw and even viewers of the present era like Geoff Boycott and Greg Chappell place Sober’s ahead as a batsman to Lara or Tendulkar’s. Personally I feel he faced superior bowling to them.They may have been equally destructive but in a crisis Sober’s was more reliable. No batsman so ruthlessly punished great pace and attacks with such correct technique and footwork more consistently.Graeme Pollock, the other great left hander of his era may have had superior natural ability ,but I don’t think he dominated pace bowling to the same degree ,particularly the short ball.Pollock played limited test Cricket and never totally proved himself against bouncers and on the leg-side. In contrast Viv Richards may have been more destructive but didn’t match Sobers technical skills or consistency or ability to champion a cause in a crisis.Viv also encountered an inferior level of opostion playing for a world champion team while Gary played against more competitive opposition.Gary Encountered great bowlers like Fred Trueman,John Snow,Brian Statham,Dennis Lillee(played him only in one series) It must be considered that Gary also scored a lot of runs against the weaker attacks of India and Pakistan and averaged only 46 runs away as to 66 at home.Gary also averaged around 40 runs against Australia ,while Tendulkar and Lara average more than 50.Gary alos faced great Englsih bowing and was a chamoion in their conditions.However Gary played at wickets at home that were considerably faster than today's wickets in West Indies.Brian Lara ,true has played more great innings in a crisis and like Sir George Headley has a much higher average percentage score of the team's total score,having had to bear the brunt of the team's batting more than Sir Gary. However he has not equaled Sober's consistency and ability to destroy the best of pace attacks.Sobers could play pure pace bolwing better tha Lara or Tendulkar.In full flow Sobers was like an emperor dictating his knights. It must be said that Sobers batted at no 6 at his best so comparison with the Kanhai’s, Richard’s,Dravid's or the Tendulkar’s may be unfair who played at one or two down. (The one down batsman face a fresh new ball, while the 2 down batsman also face a fresher ball)Above all Sobers played some of the greatest test innings with his team facing a Crisis.He had an outstanding temperament.John Snow rates Gary as the most complete batsmen he has ever bowled to who had every shot in the book.Gary averaged over 100, 4times ina test series and had an average of 77+in tests that his team won.Wisden offficially ranked Sobers 4th in the all-time ratings behind Bradman,Tendulkar and Richards,and other devised ratings have even placed him behind Lara Etc but thatis all debatable.
Sober’s with Wasim Akram and Alan Davidson is the greatest left arm bowler of all time. Akram was definitely faster but with the new ball Gary was arguably equally devastating.Gary could have palyed ina great team only on virtue of his bowling.
Gary Sobers ended his test careerscoring 8,032 runs in 93 tests at an average of 57.78 while took 235 wickets at an average of 34.03 In first class Cricket he scored 28,315 runs at an average of 54.87 with 86 Centuries.For Nottinghamshire .
It is a popular view amongst the current generation to rate Imran or Kallis superior but this is overall, a ridiculuos assumption.Imran was only a great match-winner as a fast bowler and never equaled Sobers with both bat and ball.Kallis is not in the same league as a match-winner nor possesses the same flair.The question that we have to ask us is whether has there actually been an allrounder in the Sober’s league,let alone his equal.Frankly,even stats do not do justice to Gary Sobers.
There has been a tendency of fans to rate Jacques Kallis on par with Gary Sobers because of his statistical achievements.On figures Kalis is the best all-rounder of all time. It must be said that Sobers played in a different era where far fewer test matches were played and batting conditions were more challenging. Sobers also possessed great variation in his bowling possessing even a china-man in his armoury.He could also be devastatingly quick. Kallis perhaps has possessed the same consistency and temperament but still lacked Sober’s ability to change the complexion of a game at his best. It must be said that Kallis has hardly turned games equally with bat and ball.
There is a view that the early Botham,late Imran and Keith Miller were better match-winners. However they never had Sober’s consistency. Critiques claim that Gary was only a match-winner with the bat but in my view Gary at his best was equal to the best of left-arm bowlers ,particularly with the new ball.To me the early Botham was the closest ever to Sobers as a match-winner and cricketer while in consistency as match-winer Miller and Imran were Sober's closest rivals.However morally it is Kallis who is Sober's runner up.
As a cricketer overall I may place Gary ahead of Bradman and just below W.G.Grace.I still don't place Imran ,Tendulkar as an equal of Gary as a cricketer.
It is debatable whether Gary had the same prowess as a skipper.Statistically Frank Worrell and Clive Lloyd outshone Sir Gary ,in this respect.Writers still blame Sir Gary for his declaration in 1968 when he set England a target of 215 runs in 53 overs and England attained the target.I feel he enforced the declaration for the good as sport.The West Indies only won 3 test series under Sober's captaincy in England in 1966 and inIndia in 1966-67.Did he lack the killer instinct and tactical acumen of a skipper like IanChappell or Imran Khan?To me it,just happened tat the West Indian team was on the point of decline in the later 1960's.West Indies lost 2 consecutive series at home against England and India and were defeated in Australia in 1968-69 .In Australia he scored 497 runs and took 18 wickets,but it was to no avail as his team lost 3-1.However he led he Rest of he World teams to series wins in England in 1970 and in Australia in 1972,which consisted of unofficial tests .In 1973 he relinquished his captaincy to Rohan Kanhai.Statistically Gary never had an outstanding record as a captain like Sir Don Bradman or the Great Pakistani allrounder ImranKhan,but that is not always a true reflection.One question to be asked was how inspiring was Sir Gary as a leader.The only blot in his brilliant career was his lack of success as a captain.
Gary had many favourite Cricketers.Although Rohan Kanhai was his rival he rated Rohan on par with Viv Richards and for a position in the one downplace declared a draw betweenViv and Rohan.In 1979 Gary thought Kanhai was the best batsmen of the previous 15 years,rating Kanhai ahead of Vivand Barry Richards.Sunil Gavaskar was the greatest batsmen of modern times in -Gary's opinion.,who has performed well all over the world against the best bowling.In a crisis Gary thought Ian was the best batsmen of his time and rated Ian on top of the batting poll in 1979.Ted Dexter was the best English batsmen Gary thought he played agaisnt who countered great bowling better than Colin Cowdrey or Peter May.Of the front-foot Tom Graveny was the best batsmen Sobers rated.However the batsmen who Sobers admired most was Everton Weekes,at his best as punishing as Bradman.Gary,thought Viv a champion but felt that in later years Viv did not bat as responsibly as he should have and his reflexes slowed down.Gary admired Barry Richards and rated him amongst the top 3 batsmen in the late 1970's. Lara,is rated very highly by Gary,amongst the greatest West Indian batsmen.In his early career Gary thought him better than Sachin but overall he feels it is unfair to compare.He felt that Lara does not think enough about his game and wants to destroy every ball,without using discretion.Lara,to Gary has all the strokes in the book and admired Lara's 277 at Sydney in 1992-93 where he felt Lara's domination of the bowling was complete.When Lara broke his World record score Sir Gary ran out to congragulate him and Cricket witnessed one of it's most touching momentslike an emperor handing a crown to his successor.Gary thought that Boycott was a great asset to his side but batted far too slowly and was far too selfish .Although they were class players Peter May and Greg Chappel did not relish fast bowling,in Gary's opinion.'The most talented batsmen,who never gave justice to his true ability was Lawrence Rowe,technically the soundest of batsmen,'in Gary's view.
The greatest bowlers Sobers rated were Wes Hall,Fred Trueman and Dennis Lillee.Subhash Gupte was rated the best spinner by Gary,ahead of Richie Benaud or Shane Warne of the current era.
Of all rounders Gary thought Keith Miller topped the list,Imran the best all-rounder as skippper and Hadlee ,the best bowler of all allrounders of recent times.However the all round cricketer Gary most admired was Mike Procter,of Soutb Africa,who could have been the best had he got a chance to display his skills to the greatest extent.Tony Greig ,was also revered by Gary.
Gary rated Frank Worell and Ian Chappell,the 2 greatest captains he played with or against.He revered Worrel like a great political leader.." He greatly admired Ian Chappell's ledarship feeling he was an outsatnding tactician amd motivator.
In Gary's view Ian Chappell and Bobby Simpson were great slip fielders, Paul Shean spectacular in the slips,Derk Randall an acrobat at the boundary and Colin bland the greatest thrower of all.As an all-round fielder he thought Clive Lloyd ,outstanding,who was a cover-specialist.He also admired two Indian fielders Gaekwad and Adhikari,who were great shot stoppers against the likes of Weekes and Walcott.
Gary rates the 1963 West Indian team as superior to the team that was on top under Clive Loyd in the late 1970's and early 1980's ,feeling it had more variety. Gary also does not rate the recent Australian teams as the all-time champions."I never saw Bradman's teams play but you don't even have to go back that far," Sobers said. "I don't think they would have even won a single Test against Clive Lloyd's team, to tell you the truth. Look at how the Aussies struggled against Steve Harmison in England. What would they have done against an attack with Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall? The Aussies have done so well for all these years because of two players: Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath
Kerry Packer Word Series Cricket ,introduced in 1977 gained the support of Gary ,feeling it brought money and incentive to the game and improved it overall..He felt that Packer Cricket did more for the development of West Indies Cricket,than anything.Gary did everythig to promote him and was a major adviser and correspondent during the series,having a trophy named after him.
One-day Cricket in Gary's opinion has been detrimental to batsmen's technique ,nor can it realise the potential or do justice to a great bowler.It has however in his opinion lifted the standard of fielding immensely.
Gary was a great sportsman who always walked if he knew he was out.Frank Worrell was revered by Gary for this quality.In today's game which has become so commercial and professinal it is an abject lesson for playing the game in the right spirit.
Gary Sobers Cricket career was not without blemishes.He participated in a double-wicket competitin in Rhodesia and the WEst Indies Government condemned his action.The rascist policies if the White Rhodesian Government were abhorred all over the Carribean.Gary seemed detached from politics.The Workers Voice Newspaper called Gary 'A white,blackman.THe Antugua Star said'Hid deed was a most unkind cut to allthose dedicated to the struggle against racism in all forms.'However few writers like Brunell Jones defended Sobers saying that Gary went to Rhodesia to raise the cause of integration.
Gary,always believed in enjoying life.He had a passion for horse racing and gambled alot.He also drank a lot.Gary believed that Cricketer should enjoy themselves and often went out and socialised in the nights.He felt this made a cricketer perform better."Many have painted an image of a man who was excessively fond of the juice of the grape but this is harsh judgement to pass on one who merely loved to have a drink with his friends. There was a phase in his life when he turned to the bottle for comfort and to forget and he has never made a secret of this. It happened in 1959, after the death of his close friend O.G. "Collie" Smith. Sobers was at the wheel and the accident shook him up as nothing else had. Three days later Collie Smith was dead. The restraining influence gone, Sobers began to drink heavily and he has readily admitted this in his autobiography. Around the same time, he developed an interest in a mild flutter. Nothing compulsive, but it was something that fitted in with his view of life. He was at the courses every now and then and more than anything it helped to fill a vacuum in his life. "(Excerpted from Garfield Sobers memorial website)
If there is anything which is painful to him, it must be the breakdown of his marriage. He was married to an Australian, Prudence Kirby, and their two sons Matthew and Daniel live with him while their daughter, Genevieve, lives with Pru in Melbourne. Sobers met her while she was working for an Australian firm; she had come to England to tape a message to promote Australian fruit. They became friends and married in September 1969. "Gary's sons Matthew and Daniel had different interests.Matthw is a director in a company in Australia working with his stepfather.Daniel,did not excel academically,but was very skilled with his hands. and was excelllent at drawing,painting and making things.He is working very successfuly in Barbados.However though reasonably good cricketers ,they never wanted to pursue the game as a career.
To me Sobers could be compared with the greatest sportsman ever. He also was a great believer in upholding the spirit of the game and his sportsmanshipand unselfishness can never be forgotten.Above all he was a fine human being who always radiated pleasure ,enjoyed the game and did his best to help others. He would always give advise to younger players and also displayed great humility.Overall We may never see the likes of such a player in the game. In the World of Cricket Sobers and Sir Donald Bradman are simply on another pedestal.Appropriately he was knighted in February,1975 a fitting tribute to this Immortal.He rendered his services to the game coaching West Indian Cricketers and also did commentating and reporting world-wide.C.L.R. James probably put it best: "We may some day be able to answer Tolstoy's exasperated and exasperating question: `What is art?', but only when we learn to integrate our vision of Sobers on the back foot through the covers with the outstretched arm of the Olympic Apollo."He went on to say "this superb product of the modern age When shall we see another."
Below is a list of tributes to Sir Gary
On his peformance in the tied test at Brisbane by Alan Davidson"I could name a hundred shots that he palyed of me which were incredible.'I bolwed a slower ball to him and he creame it.Colin Mcdonald was in the covers and it hit him inthe shinsbefore he started to bend and still hit the fence and bounced back 10 yards.It was fortunate it didn't hit Colin flush on the leg or he wouldn't have played again that season.
'Without doubt ,Sir Garfield Sobers was te greatest Cricketer ever He could do everything.When bowling he could bowl spin,could bowl quick,could bowl swing,he could bowl back-of -the -hand Chinaman stuff.I daer say that if he was asked to keepwickets he would have done a very good job with that as well'
SUNIL GAVASKAR
If there has been one better I would have loved to have seen himplay.He had this graet gift.Not only was Sobers the greatset all round Cricketer that ever-lived ,I think he is the greatest Athelete that ever lived.'
DICKIE BIRD
To me,one of the most amazing thing about Bradman is the fact that he is far ahead of the next batsman .Well I would say thee is exactly the same difference between Sobers and the next all-rounder.
IAN CHAPPELL
I'm of the firm belief that peole are put hee to do certain things,like Pele to play football and Muhammad Ali to box.Sobers was put here to play Cricket and payed magnificiently.He was a tremendous sportsman.He enjoyed life to the fullest,but it never affected his cricket.He just went out thee and did everything ina relaxed manner.He could do anything on the cricket field,Ihaven't seen anyone since,and I don't think there is ayone before him,who could compare.
TONY COZIER
To bat for your life I would select Boycott,Ian Chappel orBasil D'Oliveria.For strokeplay I would choose Viv and Barry Richards.However overall I would choose Gry Sobers who had it all.
DEREK UNDERWOOD
No cricketer has so often and so easily reached sublime heights as batsman, bowler and fielder as Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, a lithe Barbadian of sunny temperament who found cricket as easy as walking. There was about him that air of supreme natural talent that has only been equalled in any sport since by Tiger Woods
CRISTOPHER MARTIN JENKINS
Written with reference from Trevor Bailey's biography of Gary Sobers and Gary Sobers Autobiography with Brian Scovell.
Also reference to 'E S P.N Legends of Cricket' by Geoff Armstrong.and profile in 'Barclays World of Cricket'
BELOW ARE EXCERPTS FROM INTERVIEWS IN CRICKET MONTHLY OF JULY 2016 The greatest all-round cricketer that ever was and may ever be. As a tribute on his 80th birthday we invited his team-mates, opponents and observers to share their memories of Garry Sobers. Bottom line: he was a genius like no other (and loads of fun too).
Everton Weekes, former West Indies batsman
I have seen Garry Sobers since he was a 12-year-old boy growing up in Barbados. I had only started playing for West Indies then. Soon after that he joined us in the West Indies dressing room as a 17-year-old youngster. I remember him saying he was more nervous sitting in the dressing room than running around the field because of seeing himself sit next to the name players.
We never had to teach him anything. He taught himself. He started making runs, taking wickets and holding catches to overcome that nervousness.
The only thing I once told him is when we were batting together in England. Frank Tyson, who was supposed to be the fastest bowler in the world at the time, was bowling to Garry, who had a very high backlift. I told him to be careful otherwise Tyson could get him with a yorker. Oh yes, he survived.
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Ian Chappell, former Australia captain
A lot of people thought of Sobers as a natural who just played the game and did not think a hell of a lot about what he did. But he was very thoughtful. In fact, once, Mosman, the club in Sydney, was looking for a coach and the president had dinner with him and said, "Garry, we would love to have you as a coach, but you haven't got the qualifications." Garry said to him: "What did you think I got my knighthood for?"
He helped me a lot with my batting when I was an 18-year-old kid. I said to him, "I've obviously got a bit of a problem here, Garry. Have you got any suggestions?" He said, "Go get a bottle of beer, son. And I will talk to you." He told me three things in those very early days and I did them for the rest of my career and they were a big help. He told me to take a leg-stump guard instead of middle, because I got back and across, same as him. He said also because I went back and across, I'd be better off batting just a little bit out of the crease instead of batting one foot either side of the crease. I don't remember the third thing now, but it was helpful.
"Garry, we would love to have you as a coach, but you haven't got the qualifications." Garry said: "What did you think I got my knighthood for?"
There is another great story. They were playing in England and Geoff Boycott came to him one day and said, "Garry, you seem to get me out lbw a lot. I don't understand it." Garry was quite good psychologically as well. He said to Boycott, "Unlike a lot of people, Geoffrey, I don't think your technique is that good." That would have cut Boycott to the quick because he prided himself on his technique. "Your front foot is too far across. You can't get your bat around your pad and my inswinger gets you lbw. That's what is happening."
They go out on the field next day. Boycott is batting. Sobers runs up, bowls the first ball, angles it across, Boycott edges, gets caught at slip. As he is walking off, Sobey says to him, "Geoffrey, you didn't ask me about the other one."
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Ian McDonald, West Indian poet, columnist and novelist
Of course I remember Sobers in the field of play as the greatest cricketer who ever lived - batting touched by imagination beyond textbook; bowling full of creativity, fast or swing or slow or chinaman; fielding the quick-silverest of all men close to the wicket. An unmatchable life force, all eyes turning to him in action, the unforgettable privilege of seeing him. But I remember him also as an overflowing fountain of life in the marrow of his being. Seizing the moment, burnishing it in the fire of his youth.
July 2016
The greatest all-round cricketer that ever was and may ever be. As a tribute on his 80th birthday we invited his team-mates, opponents and observers to share their memories of Garry Sobers. Bottom line: he was a genius like no other (and loads of fun too).
Everton Weekes, former West Indies batsman
I have seen Garry Sobers since he was a 12-year-old boy growing up in Barbados. I had only started playing for West Indies then. Soon after that he joined us in the West Indies dressing room as a 17-year-old youngster. I remember him saying he was more nervous sitting in the dressing room than running around the field because of seeing himself sit next to the name players.
We never had to teach him anything. He taught himself. He started making runs, taking wickets and holding catches to overcome that nervousness.
The only thing I once told him is when we were batting together in England. Frank Tyson, who was supposed to be the fastest bowler in the world at the time, was bowling to Garry, who had a very high backlift. I told him to be careful otherwise Tyson could get him with a yorker. Oh yes, he survived.
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Ian Chappell, former Australia captain
A lot of people thought of Sobers as a natural who just played the game and did not think a hell of a lot about what he did. But he was very thoughtful. In fact, once, Mosman, the club in Sydney, was looking for a coach and the president had dinner with him and said, "Garry, we would love to have you as a coach, but you haven't got the qualifications." Garry said to him: "What did you think I got my knighthood for?"
He helped me a lot with my batting when I was an 18-year-old kid. I said to him, "I've obviously got a bit of a problem here, Garry. Have you got any suggestions?" He said, "Go get a bottle of beer, son. And I will talk to you." He told me three things in those very early days and I did them for the rest of my career and they were a big help. He told me to take a leg-stump guard instead of middle, because I got back and across, same as him. He said also because I went back and across, I'd be better off batting just a little bit out of the crease instead of batting one foot either side of the crease. I don't remember the third thing now, but it was helpful.
"Garry, we would love to have you as a coach, but you haven't got the qualifications." Garry said: "What did you think I got my knighthood for?"
There is another great story. They were playing in England and Geoff Boycott came to him one day and said, "Garry, you seem to get me out lbw a lot. I don't understand it." Garry was quite good psychologically as well. He said to Boycott, "Unlike a lot of people, Geoffrey, I don't think your technique is that good." That would have cut Boycott to the quick because he prided himself on his technique. "Your front foot is too far across. You can't get your bat around your pad and my inswinger gets you lbw. That's what is happening."
They go out on the field next day. Boycott is batting. Sobers runs up, bowls the first ball, angles it across, Boycott edges, gets caught at slip. As he is walking off, Sobey says to him, "Geoffrey, you didn't ask me about the other one."
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Ian McDonald, West Indian poet, columnist and novelist
Of course I remember Sobers in the field of play as the greatest cricketer who ever lived - batting touched by imagination beyond textbook; bowling full of creativity, fast or swing or slow or chinaman; fielding the quick-silverest of all men close to the wicket. An unmatchable life force, all eyes turning to him in action, the unforgettable privilege of seeing him. But I remember him also as an overflowing fountain of life in the marrow of his being. Seizing the moment, burnishing it in the fire of his youth.
Play hard, party harder: Sobers joins the Australians for drinks in the dressing room
Play hard, party harder: Sobers joins the Australians for drinks in the dressing room © Getty Images
At a party with Sobers one night in the middle of a Test match at Bourda - the party seemed to have come to an end at about 3am at a friend's home. Back to the hotel now. But Sobers was restless. Someone mentioned a recently opened nightspot. "Man, nobody going to tell me a place call The Crimson Cabbage and I never pay a visit! It have a little time, le' we go take a little look!" Well, I suppose there was indeed a little time left before start of play. Life's net practice also is important. Someone can look it up, Sobers scored a big century later that day, flashing boundaries off side, on side, overhead, elsewhere not of this mortal world.
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Ted Dexter, former England captain
When playing for South Australia, who had never won the Sheffield Shield, there was a player meeting before their final match. How to bowl at so-and-so? "Leave him to me," came a West Indian voice from the corner. How to play certain bowlers? "No worries, man, I get plenty of runs." Like any good pro, he obliged with a huge score, the wickets of key upper-order batsmen, oh, and a handful of catches too. "No worries, man. Leave it to me!"
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Glenn Turner, former New Zealand captain
I played against Sobey quite a bit in county cricket. One occasion, where Worcestershire were playing Nottinghamshire, he picked one ball and hit it down the fielder's throat at deep-backward square leg. When we came together as a group at the fall of his wicket, Basil D'Oliveira said to us, "I'll bet you when Sobey goes past the guy that caught him on the way to the pavilion he will say, 'I didn't see you down there, maan.'" We asked the fielder and he confirmed that was exactly what Sobey said to him. He had such confidence in himself always that he was struggling with the fact that he could get out.
"Garry bowled six of the most beautiful left-arm outswingers. Clive Lloyd was batting, I think, in the 70s. He could not get even a touch" Farokh Engineer
When he first came to England he did not feel the need to use the thigh pad. He used to say, "What do you have your bat for?" But after being hit in the thigh a fair number of times with the ball nipping nicely into his legs in English conditions, he put it on.
We know that Garry Sobers could do anything on the field and even off it. But these little quirky stories point out the man was just like one of us, except he could do great deeds.
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Alan Davidson, former Australia allrounder
The 1960-61 series had two wonderful captains: Frank Worrell and Richie Benaud, both of whom were prepared to play cricket for cricket's sake. In that West Indies side were Rohan Kanhai, Conrad Hunte, the great Wes Hall and an emerging bloke called Lance Gibbs. But the bloke who stood out above all of them was a fellow called Sobers. Garfield Sobers. The bloke could do just about anything on a cricket field except umpire. He was a complete cricketer, magnificent fielder, bowled all types of bowling, and when in form, he absolutely decimated great bowling attacks. You could not set a field to him because he just had that innate ability to be able to score runs whenever he wanted to.
In the tied Test in Brisbane he scored a century where he just bisected the field and it was absolutely one of the greatest innings I have ever seen in my life. He didn't just beat the field. He split the field. His placement was just incredible.
In the second dig I just thought I would try something a little bit different. I eventually got him with a yorker. In the previous overs I'd bowled slow at him, varying my pace before I delivered the fast yorker, and it got through him. My emotions got the better of me; I was over-elated, because he was such a dominant batsman. When he was in form, a lot of bowlers used to give up on him. If he is hitting your best ball for a four then you know he is going to massacre you.
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John Benaud, former Australia batsman
It is a fresh memory still. Sobey was lurking at backward short-leg when I was facing Intikhab Alam at the MCG against the World XI. Inti was a pretty clever legspinner. He bowled a wrong'un to me. I thought it was a topspinner and it went sharply off the inside edge. In those days you were more likely to find someone at backward short-leg off a spinner than these days. Sobey was right in my hip pocket. It was a sharp chance. He just plucked it with his left hand, a one-handed catch low to the ground.
Mike Procter, former South Africa allrounder
He is such a likeable guy. In 1970, in the first Test at Lord's between Rest of the World and England, he was our captain. He was just so natural. Sobey played out of his skin: he scored 180-odd and took so many wickets [eight]. I knew him from county cricket, but just to see him play like that against the best in the world, as England were then, he was unbelievable. He got wickets with seam, with spin. In the end we won. And the best part came when at the end he just said, "Okay guys, see you at Trent Bridge." It was like nothing had happened.
At The Oval, in the final Test, on a turning pitch we needed about 20 runs chasing 200-plus [284]. I was privileged to join him at the end. He was again so natural, dealing with the bowling on a very, very difficult wicket. He did not exaggerate his shots, just played them, knocked off the winning runs and away he went. His attitude was unbelievable.
All interviews by Nagraj Gollapudi except McDonald, Dexter, Baksh and Nicholas, who wrote in
