The 'ultimate all-round sportsman' - Garfield Sobers could do it all

ByMark Mitchener

BBC Sport Senior Journalist

Sir Garfield Sobers, who has died aged 89, was rightly chosen arsenic 1 of the starring 5 cricketers of the 20th period - and volition beryllium remembered arsenic arguably the champion all-rounder successful the past of the game.

A nationalist leader of Barbados, helium was a fable successful the West Indies connected the backmost of a Test vocation that spanned 20 years, and was knighted soon aft his retirement.

But helium volition besides beryllium fondly remembered successful England aft playing for region broadside Nottinghamshire - for whom helium wrote his sanction into the grounds books erstwhile helium became the archetypal antheral to deed six sixes successful an implicit successful a nonrecreational game.

Decades earlier coaches began to importune their players beryllium 'multi-dimensional' cricketers alternatively than lone contributing successful 1 facet of the game, Sobers was the eventual all-round sportsman.

A hard-hitting left-handed middle-order batter, helium was susceptible of bowling successful 3 chiseled styles, arsenic good arsenic being an diversion fielder and a good adjacent catcher.

Indeed, helium would often instrumentality the caller ball, bowling left-arm fast-medium - and past instrumentality aboriginal successful the innings having switched to orthodox left-arm spin, oregon adjacent left-arm wrist-spin. When added to his batting and fielding, helium was a captain's imagination - efficaciously 5 cricketers successful one.

Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was calved successful Bridgetown connected 28 July 1936, but was lone 5 erstwhile his merchant seaman begetter was killed successful World War Two, leaving his parent Thelma to rise half-a-dozen children. Young Garry was calved with an other digit connected each hand, which were removed during childhood.

Having excelled astatine respective sports arsenic a schoolboy, helium was recruited to section nine cricket successful his aboriginal teens and made his first-class debut astatine the property of 16 against the Indian tourists astatine his location town's Kensington Oval - the crushed whose pavilion would 1 time carnivore his name.

Sobers was selected to bat astatine fig 9 and vessel rotation for a star-studded Barbados line-up - helium was 1 of 8 existent oregon aboriginal Test players, of which nary less than 4 would beryllium knighted. He took 4 wickets successful the archetypal innings and 3 successful the second.

And with lone 1 different first-class quality nether his belt, his Test debut came 14 months aboriginal arsenic a 17-year-old chosen to instrumentality connected England successful the last Test successful Jamaica successful aboriginal 1954 aft the Windies' regular left-arm spinner Alf Valentine fell ill. Again, helium captured 4 wickets connected debut.

Although the celebrated 'Three W's' - Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell - were the established mediate order, Sobers was elevated to fig six connected his adjacent Test quality erstwhile Australia toured successful 1955, and soon showed signs of his all-round quality.

Having made 47 successful the 2nd Test, helium recovered himself arsenic an exigency opener successful the fourth, wherever helium deed the archetypal 3 balls helium received - from legendary Aussie all-rounder Keith Miller - for four.

Sobers toured England for the archetypal clip successful 1957, and contempt lone signaling 1 half-century successful 5 Tests, helium lit up Trent Bridge - a crushed wherever helium would aboriginal radiance - with an unbeaten 219 against his aboriginal region broadside Nottinghamshire.

Though a subordinate of undeniable potential, it was 4 years into Sobers' Test vocation earlier helium broke 3 figures for the archetypal time, successful his 17th Test - but spectacularly rewrote the grounds books successful doing so.

Coming successful astatine fig 3 against Pakistan astatine Jamaica's Sabina Park, Sobers shared a mammoth second-wicket basal of 446 with Conrad Hunte, who was tally retired for 260 - but by the clip West Indies declared connected 1 March 1958, Sobers - inactive lone 21 years aged - was 365 not out.

It broke the erstwhile grounds Test people of 364 acceptable by England's Len Hutton successful 1938, and would stay a grounds until 1994. But it was besides the harbinger of a purple spot of batting signifier for Sobers, who deed 5 further centuries successful his adjacent 5 Tests, and arsenic his seam bowling improved, helium became the world's starring all-rounder of the 1960s.

Sobers was a antheral successful request - playing successful England for Radcliffe successful the Central Lancashire League betwixt 1958 and 1962, and Norton successful the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League from 1964-1967. Meanwhile, his occurrence successful Australia successful 1960-61 earned him an invitation to play for South Australia successful the Sheffield Shield for 3 consequent seasons.

However, his clip astatine Radcliffe included a tragic incidental erstwhile a car helium was driving collided with an oncoming cattle motortruck successful Staffordshire. His Windies team-mate Collie Smith, who was sleeping successful the backmost seat, suffered spinal injuries and died 3 days later. Sobers was recovered blameworthy of careless driving and fined.

Worrell had been West Indies' archetypal achromatic captain, and erstwhile helium retired successful 1965 the 28-year-old Sobers succeeded him arsenic skipper.

In the English summertime of 1966, arsenic the hosts celebrated a shot World Cup triumph, Sobers led the Windies to a 3-1 bid triumph including 2 innings victories, portion contributing 722 runs, 3 centuries and 20 wickets himself.

Later, with South Africa consigned to sporting isolation due to the fact that of its government's apartheid policy, Sobers was chosen to skipper Rest of the World XIs against England and Australia successful spot of South African tours.

However, helium attracted disapproval backmost successful the Caribbean for a politically insensitive determination to play successful a double-wicket competition, external successful white-minority-ruled Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) successful 1970, for which helium apologised.

But helium remained peerless connected the tract - nary little a fig than Sir Donald Bradman describing his treble period for the Rest of the World against the Aussies successful Melbourne successful 1972 arsenic "probably the top accumulation of batting ever seen successful Australia".

By now, helium was besides a leader successful the East Midlands aft signing for Nottinghamshire arsenic captain. With the abolition of residential qualification for overseas players, the counties scrambled to motion satellite superstars similar Barry Richards and Greg Chappell for the 1968 season, and Notts won the fierce contention for Sobers' signature.

He continued to thrill the crowds astatine Trent Bridge until 1974, but it was successful his archetypal play astatine Notts that produced his astir celebrated hour.

On 31 August 1968 astatine Swansea, Sobers was looking for immoderate speedy runs to acceptable up a Notts declaration - and decided to instrumentality connected Glamorgan seamer Malcolm Nash, who was experimenting with left-arm spin.

By chance, a BBC Wales camera unit had defied instructions to cease filming,, external and truthful the infinitesimal was preserved for each clip arsenic Sobers launched six successive deliveries implicit the ropes.

Sobers was concisely caught by Roger Davis astatine long-off from the 5th shot - but the fielder fell implicit the bound enactment successful taking the catch, and six was signalled.

The sixth shot was smashed retired of the crushed to springiness Sobers different satellite grounds that has lone been matched erstwhile successful first-class cricket (by Ravi Shastri successful 1985), and several times successful limited-overs games.

Sobers remained bully friends with Nash, and was among the archetypal to pay tribute erstwhile the bowler died successful 2019.

However, determination was an intriguing postscript erstwhile the shot itself - oregon astatine slightest 1 purporting to beryllium so, which was authenticated by Sobers - was sold astatine auction by Christie's for £26,400.

However, a lengthy probe (and consequent book) by writer Grahame Lloyd has powerfully suggested that the "wrong" shot from a antithetic shaper was sold, though the auctioneers person denied that immoderate mistake was made.

Rohan Kanhai replaced Sobers arsenic West Indies captain, though helium played 2 much Test bid against England nether his successor, and brought the curtain down connected his first-class vocation astatine the extremity of the 1974 region season.

Sobers' vocation came excessively aboriginal for overmuch engagement successful limited-overs cricket, astatine which helium would person excelled; helium was retired for a duck successful his lone one-day planetary quality successful 1973.

But his Test grounds of 8,032 runs (average 57.78) with 26 centuries, and 235 wickets crossed 20 years compares favourably with each of the large all-rounders who preceded oregon followed him. Perhaps lone South Africa's Jacques Kallis, who played successful galore much Tests, is simply a pretender to the rubric of cricket's top all-rounder which was bestowed connected Sobers by chap fable Richie Benaud.

Did helium person a weakness? He famously enjoyed a flutter connected the horses - portion helium was criticised erstwhile his gambler's instinct yet handed West Indies a bid decision successful Trinidad successful 1968 erstwhile a sporting declaration arsenic skipper preceded a palmy England tally chase.

Less than a twelvemonth aft retiring, Sobers received a knighthood successful the New Year Honours of 1975, which was bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II during a royal sojourn to Barbados.

Other awards included being named an authoritative National Hero by the Barbados parliament, and an Officer of the Order of Australia, having acquired dual Australian citizenship done his matrimony to Prudence Kirby. The couple, who aboriginal divorced, had 2 sons and an adopted daughter.

Sobers coached Sri Lanka successful the aboriginal 1980s, during their fledgling days arsenic a Test side, and besides maintained a emotion matter with golf, astatine 1 constituent playing disconnected a scratch handicap aft taking up the crippled astatine 25.

An yearly planetary schools' cricket tourney bearing his sanction was established successful 1986 - and 1 of the Trinidadian schoolboys who had taken part, a definite Brian Charles Lara, was to interruption Sobers' Test batting grounds connected 18 April 1994.

As the fans poured onto the Antigua Recreation Ground erstwhile Lara passed Sobers' people of 365, Sir Garfield himself - who had played play with Lara astatine six o'clock that greeting - strode to the mediate to shingle the caller record-holder's hand.

When cricketing book Wisden chose its 5 cricketers of the 20th century, Bradman was voted successful unanimously by the panel, but Sobers was 2nd connected the database with 90 votes retired of 100, up of Sir Jack Hobbs (30), Shane Warne (27) and Sir Viv Richards (25).

In aboriginal life, helium was besides honoured by the International Cricket Council (ICC), who named its satellite subordinate of the twelvemonth trophy aft him, portion helium officially opened the archetypal World Cup to beryllium staged successful the Caribbean successful 2007, and was an inaugural inductee of the ICC's hallway of fame.

Cricket supporters the satellite over, who queue to beryllium photographed by his statue extracurricular Kensington Oval erstwhile they sojourn Barbados, the land for which helium was specified a palmy sporting ambassador, are mourning a existent great.