West Indies cricket great Sir Garfield Sobers, one of the finest all-rounders in the history of the game, has died at the age of 89.
Sobers represented the West Indies in international cricket from 1954 to 1974 and left a lasting legacy through his remarkable batting, bowling and fielding skills.
He played 93 Test matches, scoring 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78 and taking 235 wickets at an average of 34.03.
Sobers began his Test career against England in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1954, scoring 40 runs across two innings and taking four wickets.
Sobers' 365 against Pakistan endures as lasting landmark
His first of 26 Test centuries was a record-breaking unbeaten 365 against Pakistan in 1958, surpassing Len Hutton’s previous record of 364. Years later, Sobers witnessed fellow West Indian Brian Lara break the record against England in Antigua in 1994.
The legendary all-rounder also scored 30 Test half-centuries and claimed six five-wicket hauls during his career.
Sobers was part of the famous Frank Worrell-led West Indies tour of Australia in 1960-61, which featured the first tied Test match in cricket history. In the Brisbane Test, he scored a brilliant 132 in the first innings and finished the series with 430 runs and 15 wickets.
One of Sobers’ most memorable achievements came in first-class cricket in 1968 while playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan in the County Championship. He became the first cricketer to hit six sixes in an over, with Malcolm Nash as the bowler.
In 2009, Sobers was inducted as an inaugural member of the ICC Hall of Fame.
The Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy has been awarded annually since 2004 to honour the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year, recognising the outstanding performer in men’s international cricket.
