West Indies legend Sobers dies aged 89
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- Sir Garfield Sobers died at 89; Cricket West Indies said "a great innings has come to an end" in its tribute
- Sobers played 93 Tests between 1954 and 1974, scoring 8,032 runs and taking 235 wickets across his career
- His 365 not out against Pakistan in 1958 stood as the Test batting record for 36 years and was the source of his first-class legend
- In 1968 at Nottinghamshire, Sobers became the first player to hit six sixes off a single over in first-class cricket
- Sobers was knighted for services to cricket in 1975 and named one of Wisden's five cricketers of the 20th century
- He captained West Indies from 1965 to 1972, though the source notes he was "not as successful a skipper as player" and also led a Rest of the World XI on its 1970 tour of England
- England cricket added its voice to the tributes on social media, calling Sobers "one of the greatest to ever play the game"
Why it matters: Sobers is the only all-rounder Wisden named among the five greatest cricketers of the 20th century, with elite left-handed batting, left-arm spin and seam bowling, and fielding to match. His 365 not out stood as the Test record for over three decades, and his six-sixes-in-an-over first-class feat in 1968 remains a benchmark in cricket history.
