Famous Cricketers No 42 - Gary Sobers

SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Shell Shield 1 2 0 43 23 21.50 - - - Career 344 546 84 25795 365* 55.83 79 107 366 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Shell Shield (6-ball) 16 4 40 0 - - - - Career (6-ball) 8316.4 2369 } 26763 967 9/49 27.67 36 1 (8-ball) 1921 243 1973 - West Indians in England, and Nottinghamshire After a hiatus of five matches, Sobers returned to the West Indies Test team this summer to play in the short series against England. His knee injury in 1972 had finally broken his phenomenal streak of 85 consecutive Tests. This West Indian record is best put in perspective by observing that the previous mark was 26, established by Weekes during 1948-54. It was the new world standard and has thus far been surpassed only by Alan Border (153), Sunil Gavaskar (106) and Gundappa Viswanath (87). Sobers made a telling contribution to the tourists’ cause, helping them to regain the Wisden Trophy by winning the rubber 2-0. Nobody would ever have guessed that the West Indies would retain this trophy for the next quarter of a century. Sobers hit a masterful century at Lord’s. It was his 26th and last in Test cricket. Only Gavaskar (34), Bradman (29) and Border (27) have so far scored more. Second among West Indians is Richards (24). This century extended his world record Test aggregate to 7,932 runs (ave 59.19). It was also in the Lord’s Test that Sobers equalled a fielding record (subsequently broken by three players) when he held no fewer than 6 catches. For Nottinghamshire, he seldom displayed this kind of form. But he did register two centuries while taking 26 wickets in the county championship matches. In the final match of the season, against Derbyshire at Trent Bridge, he went in with the score at 15/3 and punished the visitors to the tune of 128 in two and a half hours, scoring all but 56 of the runs added while he was the crease. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 345. Nottinghamshire v Middlesex, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, May 19, 21, 22 (Match drawn) c and b D.A. Marriott 49 295 12 5 22 1 H.C.Latchman lbw 231 1 11 5 21 0 125/2 1 346. Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire, Trent Bridge, May 26, 28, (29) (Match drawn) c R.B.Kanhai b P.J.Lewington 24 239 14 3 32 1 D.L.Amiss lbw 335 1 - - - - 26/0 347. Nottinghamshire v Lancashire, Trent Bridge, May (30), 31, June 1 (Nottinghamshire won by three wickets) did not bat - 82/1d 6 1 22 0 177/6d not out 15 222/7 - - - - 124/4d 348. Nottinghamshire v Leicestershire, Leicester, June 9, 11, 12 (Match drawn) c R.W.Tolchard b J.Birkenshaw 49 189 8 1 39 0 323/6d not out 48 218/6 - - - - 162/7d 1 349. Nottinghamshire v Kent, Tunbridge Wells, June 16, 18, 19 (Kent won by four wickets) c A.G.E.Ealham b J.N.Graham 42 337/5d 12 2 37 1 J.N.Shepherd c and b 292/9d 1 c A.P.E.Knott b R.B.Elms 24 119 12 3 27 3 G.W.Johnson b 166/6 Asif Iqbal c M.J.Harris A.G.E.Ealham c M.J.Smedley 350. Nottinghamshire v Northamptonshire, Newark-on-Trent, June 20, 21, 22 (Northamptonshire won by an innings and 3 runs) c P.J.Watts b B.S.Bedi 26 142 277 1 run out 14 132 351. Nottinghamshire v Sussex, Trent Bridge, June 23, 25, 26 (Match drawn) b J.Spencer 6 181 8 2 22 0 149/9d 1 c P.J.Graves b J.Denman 74 273 - - - - 58/4 63