Sir Garfield Sobers dies aged 89

sportsJul 17, 202627543

Sir Garfield "Garry" Sobers has died at the age of 89. Sobers played 93 Tests for West Indies between 1954 and 1974, scoring 8,032 runs and taking 235 wickets, including 26 Test centuries and a Test batting average of 57.78. His 365 not out against Pakistan in 1958 stood as the record Test score for 36 years. He bowled both spin and seam, took 1,043 first-class wickets and scored 28,314 first-class runs, including 7,041 for Nottinghamshire. In 1968 at St Helens, Swansea, Sobers became the first player to hit six sixes in an over in a first-class match. He was knighted in 1975, named one of Wisden's five cricketers of the 20th century, served as West Indies captain from 1965 to 1972, and Nottinghamshire will hold a period of celebration before their T20 Blast semi-final at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Adrian Littlejohn

@yorksfella59.bsky.social

Cricket's greatest ever all-rounder, and one of the finest gentlemen in all of sport. He represented his game and his people with style and class, grace and dignity. Rest easy, Gary Sobers. A magnificent innings 👏👏👏👏👏 www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricke...

1372h ago

PontsticInsect4

Well remember the six sixes from one over he hit at Swansea. Legend.

wtffashionshark.bsky.social3

I met him once. A complete darling of a man. And I watched him play too. He was terrific.

💙 EveNewtonJobs 🦋2

An absolute legend. I saw him at Lords as a young child and he was extraordinary. RIP legend.

Nick25 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦2

What a sad loss. Truly one of the greatest cricketers that ever lived. A magnificent ambassador for the game and the West Indies and a true gentleman as well. I doubt that we will ever see his like again. RIP Sir.

Pennoangle2

We'll always have Swansea 😢.

Gareth Kitchener1

RIP Sir Garfield. I saw him play.... England vs The Rest of the World at Lords. It must have been around 1970.

Lev Parikian

@levparikian.bsky.social

Six sixes in an over. SIX SIXES. In 1968. youtu.be/aWA7wYKcPGo

863h ago

Lev Parikian26

Those who were there said this was his greatest innings. Which means it was a bit good. youtu.be/4SzfWtTZOtA

Jeremy Smith2

Watching him bat was a joy - all smooth and silken movement and stroke play.

Amy L Crow 🐦‍⬛1

I’m genuinely moved by this news. Just an absolute colossus of a cricketer but a legend for the islands of the West Indies.

Bill Wilkinson1

His first class debut took 7 wickets in the match aged 16. His second match scored 46 and 27 and took three wickets. His third was his test match debut against England taking 4/75. He was 17. 🤯

Lev Parikian1

This is a nice piece about Malcolm Nash, the bowler (a really good one) on that historic occasion. He died in 2019. www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/909203...

Simon Spanton1

Insane batting average for an all-rounder. Pretty damn good bowling one too.

Quoting this

Toby Miller28

I love the moment the camera follows the fourth six...and there somebody's washing on the line, in a garden outside the ground. That home's linen caught forever in the amber of this immortal moment.

Lev Parikian16

It’s always dangerous to equate sport and art but I’ve been trying to think of equivalents to convey the perfection of this and I’ve come up with: - Stevie Wonder’s run of albums in the early-mid 1970s - Mozart’s last three symphonies - Bach

Chris Dale10

6 sixes, and Sobers just raises his bat in acknowledgement - that gracious and restrained reaction is something we have lost. Old-fashioned of me, I know.

Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians

@acscricket.bsky.social

RIP Garry Sobers, giant of cricket. He played 93 Test matches for West Indies scoring 8,032 runs at 57.78 with 26 tons. He also took 235 wickets at 34.03 & snaffled 109 catches. In all 1st class cricket he scored 28,314 runs at 54.87 & took 1,043 wickets at 27.74. #cricketcounts

263h ago

Iceland Cricket

@icelandcricket.bsky.social

Sir Garry Sobers was unquestionably the greatest all-round talent cricket has seen. From averaging 57 with the bat in Tests, to bowling left-arm fast medium, wrist spin, or slow left-arm, he had every skill. Add in his captaincy & hitting six sixes in an over, he was remarkable.

364h ago

Glamorgan Cricket

@glamcricket.bsky.social

Everyone at Glamorgan County Cricket Club is deeply saddened by the death of Sir Garfield Sobers. Our thoughts and prayers are with family and family. We will always fondly remember his iconic six sixes in an over at St Helens in Swansea.

382h ago

Mr Benn

@thebowlerhatman.bsky.social

Such sad news... There are cricketers, then there was Sir Garfield Sobers. He was head & shoulders above every other cricketer. Whatever was needed by his team, he delivered. Always! RIP Sir. Thank you for the Magic.

333h ago

James Dart

@jamesdart.bsky.social

RIP Garry Sobers, the greatest of all time. By Vic Marks

283h ago

Balderdash

@balderdash.bsky.social

Rest in peace Sir Garfield Sobers - the greatest all-round cricketer the game has seen.

311h ago

David Blanchflower BSc

@davidbflower.bsky.social

I am very sorry to report that Garfield "Gary" Sobers has died. One of THE greatest cricketers of all time.

263h ago

Le désobéissant 🏴Ministre fantôme pour les ministres fantômes2

Truly a giant of the game. "During his stint at Nottinghamshire in 1968, Sobers became the first player to hit a six off all six balls in an over in a first-class match." - BBC website

Mark Beeney🗿1

Went to a sports meal in the 90’s where he gave a fantastic 1/2hr-1hr chat, recounting some of his highs & lows. A warm, funny and honest man.

Jason

@nickmotown.bsky.social

As @garydelaney.bsky.social says, the word “legend” has been watered down to mean someone unexpectedly returning with crisps. But the baggy maroon cap definitely fits with this man. www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricke...

213h ago

Ancestral Enquiries - Tony Smith 🌳

@ancestralenq.bsky.social

Rest in Peace, West Indian cricket all rounder, Sir Garfield Sobers has died, age 89. His first hundred in 1958 became 365 not out, then a record in a Test match. In 1968 he became the first player to score six sixes in a single over of six consecutive balls at Swansea.👇 news.sky.com/story/west-i...

83h ago

James Tarry

@northamptonian.bsky.social

Ken Turner tried to sign him for Northamptonshire. He turned up at Norton CC in Staffordshire to meet Sobers in 1967, taking with him £1,000 in cash in the glove compartment of his car. But the great man opted for Notts instead. RIP Sir Garfield. He would have made a wonderful Steelback.

63h ago

Hugh Stokes1

I played for Norton in the early 80s and heard that his bowling (think he did some left arm wrist spin and pacy swing bowling) was too much for most club cricketers. But that he did give bowlers a chance when he batted. A very down to earth guy by all accounts.

James Tarry1

Ken Turner was the Northamptonshire Secretary. Ran the whole club with an iron fist. When Mushtaq Mohammad invented the reverse sweep, Turner said if he played it again he’d be sacked. There’s a brutalist stand at the County Ground now named after him.

Peter Hutchinson1

Greatest cricketer I ever saw

House of Commons Speaker

@commonsspeaker.parliament.uk

Sad to hear Sir Garry Sobers, West Indies cricket legend widely regarded as the greatest all-rounder of his day, has died. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

63h ago