Garfield Sobers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers NH AO OCC
Sobers in 1956
Born	(1936-07-28)28 July 1936 Bridgetown, Colony of Barbados
Died	17 July 2026(2026-07-17) (aged 89) Saint Michael, Barbados
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Spouse(s)	Prudence Kirby ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1990)​
Children	3
Awards	Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1964) Wisden Cricketer of the Century (2000) ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (2009) Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (named after him)
Personal information Full name Garfield St Aubrun Sobers Batting Left-handed Bowling Left-arm fast medium Slow left-arm orthodox Left-arm unorthodox spin Role All-rounder Relations David Holford (cousin) International information National side West Indies (1954–1974) Test debut (cap 84) 30 March 1954 v England Last Test 5 April 1974 v England Only ODI (cap 11) 5 September 1973 v England Domestic team information Years Team 1952/53–1973/74 Barbados 1961/62–1963/64 South Australia 1968–1974 Nottinghamshire Career statistics Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 93 1 383 95 Runs scored 8,032 0 28,314 2,721 Batting average 57.78 0.00 54.87 38.32 100s/50s 26/30 0/0 86/121 1/18 Top score 365* 0 365* 116* Balls bowled 21,599 63 70,789 4,387 Wickets 235 1 1,043 109 Bowling average 34.03 31.00 27.74 21.95 5 wickets in innings 6 0 36 1 10 wickets in match 0 0 1 0 Best bowling 6/73 1/31 9/49 5/43 Catches/stumpings 109/– 1/– 407/– 41/– Source: Cricinfo, 13 September 2007
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Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers (born July 28, 1936 – died July 17, 2026), also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, was a legendary Barbadian cricketer. He played for the West Indies from 1954 to 1974. Many people consider him the greatest all-rounder in cricket history. An all-rounder is a player who is excellent at both batting and bowling. Sir Garry was a powerful batsman, a very skilled bowler who could bowl in many different styles, and a fantastic fielder.

Early Years and Cricket Beginnings

Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was born on July 28, 1936, in Bridgetown, Barbados. He was one of six children. From a young age, Garry loved sports, especially cricket, football, and basketball. He was naturally talented with a ball. He and his brother Gerald helped their school team win cricket championships for three years in a row.

When he was 13, he started playing for a local cricket club. He practiced a lot, bowling to experienced players. This helped him become a skilled left-arm spin bowler. At just 15, he joined the Police team. By 16, in 1953, he made his first-class debut for Barbados. He showed great promise, taking several wickets in his first big match.

Becoming a Cricket Star

Garry Sobers made his Test debut for the West Indies in March 1954, when he was only 17. He played against England in Kingston, Jamaica. He started mainly as a bowler and impressed everyone by taking four wickets in England's first innings. Even though he was young, he quickly moved up the batting order.

In 1958, against Pakistan in Kingston, Garry scored his first Test century. But he didn't stop there! He kept batting and scored an amazing 365 runs without being out. This set a new world record for the highest individual score in a Test innings. This record stood for many years until Brian Lara broke it in 1994. At 21, Garry was the youngest player ever to score a triple century in Test cricket.

Leading the West Indies

Garry became the captain of the West Indies team in 1965 and led them until 1972. He also captained a special 'Rest of the World XI' team during their tour of England in 1970. Overall, Garry played 93 Test matches for the West Indies. He scored 8,032 runs with an impressive average of 57.78. He also took 235 wickets. He is known for having one of the highest batting averages in Test cricket among players with many runs.

In all his 383 first-class matches, he scored over 28,000 runs and took over 1,000 wickets. He played for teams like South Australia and Nottinghamshire later in his career.

Playing Around the World

After his first tour of England in 1957, Garry played for the Radcliffe Cricket Club in the Central Lancashire League for five seasons. This helped him improve his skills in different conditions. In 1961, he had an incredible season, scoring over 1,000 runs and taking 144 wickets! This helped Radcliffe win two championships.

During this time, a sad event happened. In September 1959, Garry was involved in a car accident where his friend and fellow cricketer, Collie Smith, sadly passed away. This was a very difficult time for Garry. He showed great strength and determination to continue his cricket career, playing not just for himself, but also in memory of his friend.

Garry also played in Australia for the South Australia team. He had a huge impact, making cricket very popular there. In the 1963–64 season, he helped South Australia win the Sheffield Shield, a major cricket competition. He was the top scorer with 973 runs and the top wicket-taker with 47 wickets that season. He spent three seasons with South Australia, achieving the rare feat of scoring 1,000 runs and taking 50 wickets in two of them.

Six Sixes in One Over!

One of Garry Sobers' most famous moments happened on August 31, 1968. He became the first batsman in first-class cricket history to hit six sixes in a single over of six consecutive balls! This means he hit the ball out of the park six times in a row from six balls bowled by the same bowler. He was playing as captain for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan in Swansea, England. The bowler was Malcolm Nash. This amazing feat broke a 57-year-old record and showed his incredible power and skill. Imagine hitting the ball so far, six times in a row!

After the Rest of the World series in 1970, he played in a friendly tournament in Rhodesia. This decision caused some discussion among people in the West Indies.

How Sir Garry Played

Sir Garry Sobers was a left-handed player. He was amazing because he could do everything well! As a batsman, he was powerful and aggressive. As a bowler, he was incredibly versatile. He could bowl fast-medium balls, slow left-arm spin, and even tricky left-arm wrist spin. This made him very hard to play against. He was also an excellent fielder, often catching balls close to the wicket, but he could also field well anywhere on the field.

Cricket legends like Sir Donald Bradman and Richie Benaud called him the greatest all-rounder they had ever seen. They praised his quick thinking, powerful strokes, and ability to adapt his bowling style to any situation. Fred Trueman described him as a "sublime left-hand batsman" and "one of the greatest cricketers ever."

Sobers in 2012

Beyond the Cricket Field

Garry Sobers married Prudence Kirby, an Australian, in September 1969. They had two sons and an adopted daughter. He also became a dual citizen of Barbados and Australia. Sir Garry loved sports beyond cricket, especially golf. He even wrote a children's novel about cricket called Bonaventure and the Flashing Blade in 1967.

Sir Garry Sobers passed away on July 17, 2026, at the age of 89. The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, honored him and declared two national days of mourning. He was remembered as one of the greatest cricketers of all time.

Awards and Lasting Legacy

Sir Garry Sobers received many honors throughout his life and after.

• He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1964.
• In 2000, he was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, a huge honor given to the best players of all time.
• The International Cricket Council (ICC) created the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy in 2004. This trophy is given every year to the best male cricketer in the world, showing how much he is respected in the sport.
• Wisden also named him the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for eight different years, more than almost any other player.

The statue of Sobers outside Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

In 1975, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Sobers for his amazing contributions to cricket. This meant he became 'Sir Garfield Sobers'. In 1998, the Cabinet of Barbados named him one of the 11 National Heroes of Barbados. This is a huge honor! In 2009, he was welcomed into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, which celebrates the greatest cricketers of all time. His statue stands proudly outside Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, reminding everyone of his incredible achievements.

See also

In Spanish: Garfield Sobers para niños