Sir Garfield Sobers, the greatest all-rounder of all time, has died at the age of 89, West Indies Cricket announced on Friday.
“A great innings has come to an end. In our hearts, now and forever, Sir Garfield Sobers,” West Indies posted on Cricket X with the caption ‘Legend’ above his photo. Icon. Hero’.
Sobers played 93 Tests between 1954 and 1974, scoring 8,032 runs at 57.78 and taking 235 wickets at 34.03 each.
In a 1999 poll of 100 cricket experts, Australian batsman Donald Bradman and Sobers each received 90 votes in Whiston’s list of five cricketers of the 20th century.
Bradman had an extraordinary 100 votes, but before his death in 2001, ‘The Don’ paid a final tribute to Sobers.
“In my opinion, he is the greatest cricketer of all time,” Bradman said.
To many he is known as the first player to hit six sixes in an over — Glamorgan’s Malcolm Nash was the unlucky bowler when Sobers played county cricket for Nottinghamshire.
They paid tribute to him, describing him as “cricket’s greatest all-rounder and an iconic figure in Nottinghamshire history”.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Garfield Sobers,” the club said.
England also paid tribute on social media, calling Sobers “one of the greatest ever to play the game”.
“Forever in our hearts, Sir Garfield Sobers,” they added.
The governing body of Indian cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), also paid tribute.
“The BCCI mourns the demise of Sir Garfield Sobers, a true icon of the game and one of cricket’s greatest all-rounders,” it said.
“His extraordinary achievements, enduring influence on Caribbean cricket and immeasurable contribution to the global game have left an enduring legacy that will inspire generations,” they said in a video of a conversation with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and other Indian players during the West Indies tour in 2024.