Famous Cricketers No 42 - Gary Sobers

249. West Indians v Governor General’s XI, Auckland, March 21, 22, 23 (Governor General’s XI won by 23 runs) c R.M.Edwards b M.J.Horton 54 256 5 1 23 1 C.H.Lloyd c G.S.Camacho 236 b R.M.Edwards 31 318 10 0 66 1 M.J.Horton c W.W.Hall 361 SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Tests 8 15 0 567 113 37.80 2 2 11 Other matches 6 9 2 599 132 85.57 3 2 7 Season 14 24 2 1166 132 53.00 5 4 18 Career 249 397 57 19392 365* 57.04 59 83 273 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Tests 311.1 61 1934 25 6/73 41.36 1 - Other matches 119 12 476 20 5/107 23.80 1 - Season (8-ball) 430.1 73 1510 45 6/73 33.55 2 - Career (6-ball) 5649.3 1590 } 20055 726 9/49 27.62 29 1 (8-ball) 1792.2 236 1969 - West Indians in England, and Nottinghamshire Sobers spent the first half of this season playing for the touring West Indians and the second half for Nottinghamshire. In 8 matches for the county, he garnered 591 runs (ave 53.72) and 32 wickets (ave 21.75). For the West Indians, he recorded 432 runs (ave 33.23) and 22 wickets (ave 28.31) in 12 games. He had, that is to say, fallen from the lofty standards he had set in previous summers. His Caribbean squad won only 3 of its 19 first-class games and failed to recapture the Wisden Trophy which England had won in the West Indies in the winter of 1967/68. The tourists lost two of the three Tests and drew the other. The captain’s own form was such that he could manage only 150 runs (ave 30.00) in this series. He had an excellent chance to tie the series himself by scoring a dozen runs or so in the third Test. When Barry Knight bowled him for 0, the way was paved for an unexpected English victory by 30 runs. His bowling also seemed to lack its normal sting and he had to be content with 11 Test wickets at a cost of almost 29 runs apiece. Even so, he bowled brilliantly in the third Test at Headingley when, in the absence of John Shepherd (one of his chief bowlers), he delivered no fewer than 40 overs for 42 runs and five wickets in England’s second innings. This was one of his finest bowling performances in Test cricket. This was the summer in which Sobers became only the second West Indian (after Marshall) to exceed 20,000 runs in first-class cricket. He reached this milestone, in his 263rd match, during a fine innings of 94 against Derbyshire at Ilkeston in early August. He and Marshall were now tied with 61 first-class centuries each. No West Indian had ever scored more. His 60th, scored against Surrey at Trent Bridge in August, was a masterpiece. He went to the crease at 26/4; struck 2 sixes, 1 five and 15 fours in 103 minutes; and left for 104 with the score at 182/7. He had made exactly two-thirds of the total runs garnered during his innings. Needless to say, Gary’s 292 catches constituted a West Indian record too. In this department he had moved past Marshall who now had 273 catches to his credit. Sobers also surpassed the mark of 758 wickets achieved by Sonny Ramadhin during 1949-65. Among all native West Indians, only S.G.Smith, who took 955 wickets in 211 matches for Trinidad, Northamptonshire and Auckland during 1899-1926, had captured more. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 250. West Indians v D.H.Robins’ XI, Eastbourne, April 30, May 1, 2 (Match drawn) b Mushtaq Mohammad 24 287 9 2 32 0 262/7d 1 did not bat - 319/7d 18 3 49 3 M.H.Denness c T.M.Findlay 337/9 1 P.M.Walker lbw C.T.Spencer c C.A.Davis 251. West Indians v Worcestershire, Worcester, May 3, (4), 5 (Match drawn) did not bat - 87/6d 2 0 8 0 235/8d 2 - - - - 24/0 50