Sir Garry Sobers, West Indies cricket legend and Barbados national hero, dies at 89

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados. Sir Garfield Sobers, regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of the 20th century and one of the finest all-rounders in the game's history, has died at the age of 89.

A national hero in Barbados and a West Indies legend, Sobers excelled as a batter, as a bowler in three different styles and as a fielder. He was the first player to hit six sixes in an over in a professional match, playing for Nottinghamshire.

Record-breaking batter

Sobers announced himself in 1958 when, aged 21, he scored an unbeaten 365 against Pakistan, breaking the long-standing record for the highest individual Test score. He followed it with five centuries in his next five Tests and became the world's leading all-rounder during the 1960s.

He also played league cricket in England and for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield. In England he was involved in a car crash that killed West Indies teammate Collie Smith, after which Sobers was fined for careless driving.

Captain of the West Indies

Succeeding Frank Worrell as captain in 1965, he led the West Indies to a 3-1 series win over England in 1966, scoring 722 runs with three centuries and taking 20 wickets.

He later captained Rest of the World sides against England and Australia after South Africa was excluded from international sport over apartheid. He faced criticism for playing in a 1970 tournament in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, but later apologised.

Donald Bradman described his 1972 double century in Melbourne as "probably the greatest exhibition of batting ever seen in Australia". Sobers captained Nottinghamshire from 1968 to 1974 and retired from first-class cricket in 1974.

Legacy

He finished his Test career with 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78, including 26 centuries, and 235 wickets. He was knighted in 1975, later named a National Hero of Barbados, coached Sri Lanka in the early 1980s and remained active in golf.

When Brian Lara broke his record of 365 not out in 1994, Sobers congratulated him on the field.

His honours include the ICC's World Player of the Year award being named after him, induction into the ICC Hall of Fame and recognition as one of Wisden's five greatest cricketers of the 20th century.