Sir Gary Sobers, cricket's superman, passes away at 89 years

Sir Garfield Sobers, recognised as cricket’s greatest allrounder, passed away at the age of 89, confirmed a X post by the  Cricket West Indies (CWI). The West Indies legend leaves behind an unmatched legacy in the game - having defined excellence with bat, ball and in the field across a glittering international career.

  ‘’The greatest allround cricketer the world has seen,’’  was how the late Richie Benaud, a revered broadcaster and former Australia captain known for his economy with words, described Sobers. “Sobers was a brilliant batsman, splendid fielder, particularly close to the wicket, and a bowler of extraordinary skill, whether bowling with the new ball, providing orthodox left-arm spin or over-the-wrist spin,” he wrote.

 Born in Barbados on July 28, 1936, Sir Garfield made his Test debut for the West Indies at just 17 and went on to play 93 Tests, scoring 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78 including 26 centuries. He claimed 235 wickets while his safe hands in the field brought him 109 catches. For many, there has never been a more complete cricketer. More than six decades after he first dazzled the cricketing world, he remains the gold standard by which every allrounder is measured.

While no amount of statistics can do justice to the influence that the colossus wielded on the game – two of his records had survived the test of time. Sobers’ unbeaten 365 against  Pakistan in 1958 was the highest individual score in Test cricket for more than 36 years till he was broken, rather appropriately, by Brian Lara in 1994. A decade after his epic 365, he became the first cricketer to hit six sixes in a single over in first class cricket for his county Glamorgan, an achievement that remains one of the game’s most iconic moments.

Sobers also captained the West Indies and inspired generations of cricketers across the Caribbean and beyond. He was the captain during India’s epochal tour of the West Indies in 1971, which saw the debut of Sunil Gavaskar when the Little Master rustled up 774 runs in the series.

 Knighted for his services to cricket, Sobers was named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Century and was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, honours that reflected his towering impact on the sport. ICC introduced the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy from 2004 – the most prestigious award of the world governing body of the game which is given to the overall outstanding performer across all formats. The last winner in this category is Indian pace ace Jasprit Bumrah.