Famous Cricketers No 42 - Gary Sobers

INTRODUCTION Gary Sobers has everywhere been acknowledged as the greatest cricketer of all time. He was a magnificent left-handed batsman, a versatile left-arm bowler and a brilliant all-round fieldsman. He had the ability to win many a game on his own and even though his career spanned as many as 383 first-class matches, there was seldom an occasion when he did not make a significant contribution with either the bat or the ball. Sometimes he used both implements to put his opponents to flight, almost single-handedly. Such was his competitive nature that opponents simply knew that, if he had failed with the bat, he was going to bowl with even more than his usual malice aforethought. They also knew that he was going to take command of the game if it appeared to be slipping away. Like all great stars, he had a flair for the dramatic and rose to the occasion when the stakes were raised. Naturally, his favourite grounds were Lord’s, the mecca of cricket, Sabina Park in Kingston, where he made his Test début, and the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, where he appeared in his initial first-class match at the age of 16. He played some of his greatest innings on these three swards. From 1953 to 1974, Sobers was the heart and soul of West Indies cricket, which he totally dominated after the retirement of the ‘Three Terrible Ws’. He was a bold and controversial captain, not because he lacked tactical skills but because he became bored whenever the game seemed too desultory. He liked exciting cricket and detested tame draws. The Legend of Sobers is securely founded on the arithmetic of his cricket. He scored more runs (in excess of 28,000), captured more wickets (over 1,000) and held more catches (in excess of 400) than any West Indian (except Roy Marshall) had previously done. His first-class career is thus a statistician’s dream. Along the way, he set a host of records, both world and West Indian. Some of these still remain intact even though it is now more than 20 years since his retirement. At the highest level of competition, Sobers seemed almost always to reach a higher gear. Thus it is not surprising to find that his best averages were achieved in Test matches. Two crisis innings in particular stand out as classic examples of his refusal to surrender. In 1966, in the face of certain defeat, he manufactured a marvellous century at Lord’s, inspiring his younger cousin, David Holford, to rise to heights of batsmanship that he had never previously attained and which, as it proved, he would never reach again. In 1968, at Sabina Park, Gary registered an incredible 113 not out while most of his colleagues were floundering on an unpredictable and almost impossible playing surface. These are the innings I cherish most. Others, like Sir Donald Bradman, have preferred his 254 for the Rest of the World against Australia at Melbourne in 1972. Others again, like the famous Australian cricket commentator Alan McGilvray, have considered Gary’s finest innings to have been his 132 against Australia in the fabled tied Test of blessed memory. These were mighty feats indeed and have been often chronicled. But the retelling of miraculous tales never leaves the audience bored or tired. Sobers is one of the few West Indians who have thus far elicited a substantial literature. There are biographies of him by Trevor Bailey and Gordon Bell and at least four or five works of an autobiographical nature. There would thus appear, on the surface, to be no need for yet another monograph on Sobers. But such is the historical significance of this superstar that it is impossible to establish any ‘Famous Cricketers’ series from which he is excluded. One does not therefore have to apologize for adding to the growing list of books on Sobers. This particular offering, in any event, is the first attempt to put some order to the impressive statistical data surrounding his career. 4