Garfield Sobers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers NH AO OCC
Sobers in 2012
Born	(1936-07-28) 28 July 1936 (age 89) Bridgetown, Colony of 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 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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The Right Excellent Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, is a famous former cricketer from Barbados. He played for the West Indies from 1954 to 1974. Sir Garry was an amazing all-rounder, meaning he was great at batting, bowling, and fielding. Many people think he is one of the best cricketers of all time.

Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sobers started playing first-class cricket for the Barbados team when he was just 16 in 1953. He made his Test debut for the West Indies the next year. At first, he was mainly a bowler, but he soon became a top batsman. In 1958, he scored his first Test century against Pakistan, making an incredible 365 runs without being out. This set a new world record for the highest score in a Test innings, which stood until 1994.

Sir Garry became the captain of the West Indies team in 1965 and led them until 1972. He played 93 Test matches for the West Indies, scoring 8,032 runs and taking 235 wickets. He also played 383 first-class matches, scoring over 28,000 runs and taking over 1,000 wickets. He played for teams like South Australia and Nottinghamshire. In 1975, Queen Elizabeth II made him a knight for his great contributions to cricket. In 1998, he was named one of the eleven National Heroes of Barbados. In 2009, he joined the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Cricket Beginnings (1936–1954)

Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was born on July 28, 1936, in Bridgetown, Barbados. He was one of six children. When he was five, his father passed away at sea.

From a young age, Sobers loved playing sports, especially cricket, football, and basketball. He and his brother Gerald helped their school team win the primary school cricket championship three years in a row. When he was 13, he started playing for local cricket clubs like Kent St Philip and Wanderers.

Sobers practiced a lot, bowling to experienced batsmen. This helped him become a skilled left-arm spin bowler. At just 15, he was invited to play for the Police team. In 1953, at 16, he made his first-class debut for Barbados against the Indian touring team. He took 4 wickets for 50 runs in his first innings, showing his talent right away.

A year later, at 17, he played his second first-class match against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He scored 46 runs and took two wickets. His strong performances in these two matches led to his selection for the West Indies Test team.

International Cricket Journey

Starting His Test Career (1954–1957)

Sobers made his Test debut in March 1954, at 17, against England in Kingston, Jamaica. He was chosen as a bowler and took 4 wickets for 75 runs in England's first innings. England won the match, but Sobers had made a good start.

In the 1954–55 series against Australia, Sobers was not picked for the first match. But he returned for the second Test and scored 47 runs. He was not used much as a bowler in that high-scoring game. In the fourth Test, he was asked to open the batting, which was a surprise. He hit three boundaries off his first three balls and scored 43 runs.

In 1956, Sobers went on his first overseas tour to New Zealand. He found it hard to bat on the green pitches there, which were very different from the dry pitches in the West Indies. He scored 81 runs and took two wickets in four Tests.

In 1957, Sobers toured England. He scored 320 runs with three half-centuries in the five Test matches. He also took five wickets. In the final Test, he showed great batting skill on a difficult pitch, scoring 39 and 42 runs when his teammates struggled. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack praised him, saying he was a "very fine stroke-player who should go far."

Record-Breaking 365 Not Out (1958–1964)

Before 1958, Sobers often got good starts but didn't turn them into huge scores. However, in the next three years, he became an amazing batsman. In 24 Tests, he scored 2,250 runs with an average of 93.75.

In 1958, he scored his first Test century against Pakistan in Kingston. He kept batting and reached an incredible 365 runs without being out. This broke the world record Test score of 364 set by England's Len Hutton in 1938. Sobers batted for over 10 hours and hit 38 fours. At 21 years old, he became the youngest player to score a triple-century in Test cricket.

He scored 824 runs with three centuries in the five Tests against Pakistan. Then, he scored 557 runs with three more centuries on the West Indies tour of India in 1958–59. In the home series against England in 1959–60, he scored three centuries and a total of 709 runs.

In the 1960–61 series in Australia, Sobers scored a famous 132 runs on the first day of the First Test. This match ended in the first ever Tied Test. He scored 430 runs in the series and took 15 wickets. His excellent bowling allowed the captain to play an extra batsman, making Sobers a true all-rounder. He was awarded the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World title many times.

Sobers was not always a big wicket-taker in Test cricket, but he was very effective, especially when bowling fast. He took 235 wickets in 93 Tests. His best bowling performance was 6 wickets for 73 runs.

His success continued in the next two series against India (1961–62) and England (1963). He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1964. After Sir Frank Worrell retired, Sobers became the West Indies captain for the 1964–65 home series against Australia.

Leading the West Indies (1965–1974)

Sobers had immediate success as captain. His team beat Australia by 179 runs in the First Test and won the series 2–1, claiming the new Frank Worrell Trophy. This was the first time West Indies had beaten Australia in a Test series.

In 1966, Sobers had an amazing tour in England. He scored 722 runs at an average of 103.14 with three centuries. He also took 20 wickets and 10 catches. West Indies won the series 3–1. His great performance led to him being called "King Cricket."

He continued to captain the West Indies, winning a series in India in 1966–67. However, he lost a series for the first time in 1967–68 when England surprisingly beat West Indies at home.

Sobers captained the West Indian cricket team in Australia in 1968-69 where they lost 3–1. In 1969, West Indies lost 2–0 in England. He led West Indies in a home series against India in 1970–71, which India won 1–0. A year later, he led West Indies in five home Tests against New Zealand, all of which were drawn.

Rohan Kanhai took over as West Indies captain in 1972–73. Sobers played his last Test match in March 1974 against England.

Playing for the Rest of the World

When South Africa was banned from international cricket due to its apartheid policy, special "Rest of the World" teams were formed to play unofficial Test series. These teams included some top South African players.

Sobers was chosen to captain the Rest of the World XI in England in 1970. In the first unofficial Test, he took 6 wickets for 21 runs with fast bowling. He then scored a "magnificent" 183 runs. In the Fourth Test, he scored 114 and 59 runs, helping his team win.

In January 1972, in an unofficial Test between Australia and The World XI, Sobers played an innings of 254 runs. The famous Australian batsman Donald Bradman called it "probably the greatest exhibition of batting ever seen in Australia." Australian captain Ian Chappell also said it was the best innings he ever saw.

Cricket in England and Australia

Playing in English Leagues

Sobers spent several seasons playing in English league cricket. From 1958 to 1962, he was the professional player for Radcliffe Cricket Club in the Central Lancashire League. This helped him improve his skills in different conditions. In 1961, he had a rare achievement, scoring 1008 runs and taking 144 wickets, helping Radcliffe win the league championship.

In September 1959, Sobers was involved in a car accident that sadly led to the death of his friend and fellow West Indies player, Collie Smith. This was a very difficult time for Sobers. He decided to play not just for himself, but also for Collie Smith, which helped him overcome the trauma and continue his successful cricket career.

After touring England in 1963, he played for Norton Cricket Club in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League from 1964 to 1967, helping them win the league title multiple times.

Sheffield Shield with South Australia

In the 1961–62 Australian season, Sobers played for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield competition. He had a huge impact, causing a big increase in people coming to watch the games. He was the best batsman and bowler for South Australia.

He was even better in 1963–64, helping South Australia win the Sheffield Shield. Sobers was the top run-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 1000 runs and 50 wickets in two of them.

County Championship with Nottinghamshire

In 1968, Sobers signed with Nottinghamshire and became their captain. He wanted to help improve the team's performance.

Six Sixes in One Over

On August 31, 1968, Sobers made history by becoming the first batsman to hit six sixes in a single over (six consecutive balls) in first-class cricket. He was playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan in Swansea. The bowler was Malcolm Nash. Sobers hit all six balls out of the ground, scoring 36 runs in that one over. This broke a 57-year-old record.

Playing Style and Skills

Sobers was an amazing all-rounder. He was left-handed for both batting and bowling. He could bowl many different types of left-arm deliveries, from spin to fast-medium. As a fielder, he was usually close to the wicket, but he was also a very good outfielder.

Sir Donald Bradman, a legendary Australian batsman, said in 1988 that Gary Sobers was the greatest all-round cricketer he ever saw. Bradman praised Sobers's batting against fast bowling and his excellent fielding.

Richie Benaud, another famous cricketer, called Sobers "the greatest all-round cricketer the world has seen." He said Sobers was a brilliant batsman, a splendid fielder, and a bowler with amazing skill, whether bowling with the new ball or using spin.

Fred Trueman, a great fast bowler, described Sobers as a "sublime left-hand batsman" and "one of the greatest cricketers ever." He noted Sobers's "great cricketing brain" and quick thinking.

Sobers started as an orthodox left-arm spinner but learned to bowl left-arm wrist spin and googlies. He could also bowl fast, making the ball curve at high speed. His quick footwork helped him get into position for his shots.

After his successful tour of England in 1966, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack said that Sobers had "one triumph after another with bat and ball, as well as in the field as a master tactician and fantastic catcher." The media even gave him the nickname "King Cricket."

Football Career

Sobers was a natural athlete who also played football at a competitive level in Barbados. He mainly played as a left-back (defender). His strength, smart play, and athleticism made him a strong player.

His most notable football achievement was playing for Barbados in an international match against Martinique in the 1950s. In this game, Sobers helped his team win 2-0 and even scored one of the goals, which is rare for a defender.

Sobers is one of the few athletes to have represented his country internationally in two different sports. His short but successful time in football adds to his amazing sports story.

Personal Life

Sobers was briefly engaged to Indian actress Anju Mahendru. In September 1969, he married Prudence "Pru" Kirby, an Australian. They had two sons, Matthew and Daniel, and an adopted daughter, Genevieve. The marriage ended in 1990. Sobers became a dual Barbadian-Australian citizen in 1980.

He enjoys golf and has written a children's novel about cricket called Bonaventure and the Flashing Blade.

Honours and Legacy

Statue of Sobers outside Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

In 1975, Queen Elizabeth II made Sobers a Knight Bachelor for his great contributions to cricket. He was knighted by the Queen herself during a visit to Barbados.

In 1998, the government of Barbados named Sobers a National Hero of Barbados. This means he is called "The Right Excellent." He is one of only eleven people to receive this honor and one of two still living, along with Rihanna.

Sobers also coached cricket internationally, including a time with Sri Lanka. In 2003, he was given the Officer of the Order of Australia award.

Cricket Awards and Recognition

Sir Garry Sobers has received many important awards:

• Wisden Cricketer of the Year: 1964
• The Cricket Society Wetherall Award for the Leading All-Rounder in English First-Class Cricket: 1970
• Walter Lawrence Trophy winner: 1974
• Wisden Cricketer of the Century: 2000

In 2000, a panel of 100 experts named Sobers as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. He received 90 out of 100 possible votes. The other four cricketers chosen were Don Bradman, Jack Hobbs, Shane Warne, and Viv Richards.

In 2004, the International Cricket Council (ICC) created the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. This award is given every year to the best player in international cricket. It was named after Sobers because a panel of experts recommended him as the person to honor with cricket's top individual award.

In 2007, Wisden looked back and named the Leading Cricketer in the World for each year since 1900. Sobers was chosen for eight different years (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964–66, 1968, and 1970). Only Sobers and Bradman (10 times) received this honor more than three times.

To celebrate 150 years of the Cricketers' Almanack, Wisden also included him in their all-time Test World XI team.

See also

In Spanish: Garfield Sobers para niños