Famous Cricketers No 42 - Gary Sobers

Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Tests 82.1 24 169 6 3/27 28.16 - - County Championship 244 74 619 26 4/64 23.80 - - Season (6-ball) 326.1 98 788 32 4/64 24.62 - - Career (6-ball) 8642.5 2467 } 27551 999 9/49 27.57 36 1 (8-ball) 1921 243 1973/74 Sobers participated in 6 matches this winter, including 4 Tests against England which proved to be the last of his career. The West Indies retained the Wisden Trophy by drawing the series 1-1, and would clearly have done much better had Gary produced even moderate results. But he failed completely with the bat, totalling only 100 runs in his 5 Test innings. These, however, were just enough to make him the first batsman ever to achieve 8,000 runs in Test cricket. His new mark of 8,032 runs was destined to remain intact until 1982 when England’s Geoffrey Boycott reached 8,114 in 108 Tests. It stood as a West Indian record for 17 years before being eclipsed by Viv Richards, who is the only one to have exceeded it thus far. Sobers also finished the winter with 1,014 wickets. He was the first West Indian to take 1,000 wickets in first-class cricket. His 1,000th victim was Bernard Julien of Trinidad & Tobago. His solitary 50 in this series, needless to say, was achieved at Sabina Park where he took his record individual aggregate to 1,354 (ave 104.15) in 11 Tests. His 14 Test wickets (ave 30.07) took his tally to 235, then second among West Indians only to the 265 captured by Gibbs, who was destined to finish his career with 309. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 363. Barbados v Trinidad & Tobago, Bridgetown, January 17, 18, 19, 20 (Barbados won by ten wickets) c and b Inshan Ali 35 411 9 4 14 1 B.D.Julien b 202 did not bat - 8/0 - - - - 216 1 364. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Port-of-Spain, February 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 (West Indies won by seven wickets) c M.H.Denness b D.L.Underwood 23 392 14 3 37 2 D.L.Amiss c D.L.Murray 131 F.C.Hayes c R.C.Fredericks did not bat - 132/3 34 15 54 3 D.L.Amiss lbw 392 F.C.Hayes b K.W.R.Fletcher c L.G.Rowe 365. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Kingston, February 16, 17, 19, 20, 21 (Match drawn) c R.G.D.Willis b A.W.Greig 57 583/9d 33 11 65 3 G.Boycott c R.B.Kanhai 353 F.C.Hayes c K.D.Boyce D.L.Underwood c R.C.Fredericks 34 13 73 1 D.L.Underwood c D.L.Murray 432/9 366. Barbados v Jamaica, Bridgetown, February 23, 24, 25, 26 (Match drawn) c D.M.Lewis b U.G.Dowe 60 344 11 2 34 0 286 did not bat - 299/6 367. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Bridgetown, March 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 (Match drawn) c A.W.Greig b R.G.D.Willis 0 596/8d 18 4 57 1 M.H.Denness c D.L.Murray 395 1 35 21 55 1 G.Boycott c R.B.Kanhai 277/7 368. WEST INDIES v ENGLAND, Port-of-Spain, March 30, 31, April 2, 3, 4 (England won by 26 runs) c J.Birkenshaw b A.W.Greig 0 305 31 16 44 1 D.L.Amiss c R.B.Kanhai 267 b D.L.Underwood 20 199 24.2 9 36 2 A.P.E.Knott lbw 263 G.G.Arnold b SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Tests 4 5 0 100 57 20.00 - 1 1 Shell Shield 2 2 - 95 60 47.50 - 1 1 Season 6 7 0 195 60 27.85 - 2 2 Career 368 582 89 27205 365* 55.18 82 115 390 65