Gros Islet, St Lucia - The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has joined cricket lovers all over the world in congratulating Sir Garfield Sobers on reaching a special milestone. The former Barbados and West Indies captain and allrounder celebrates his 75th birthday on Thursday.
In a special note to mark the occasion, WICB President Dr Julian Hunte saluted the legend.
"On behalf of the WICB, the cricketing family of the West Indies and cricket lovers all around the world I want to salute Sir Garry and wish him all the best on reaching this special birthday. There are many people around the globe who were blessed to see his amazing exploits on the field of play and millions others who have come to learn of his heroics. Everyone will want to join and wish Sir Garry many happy returns on his big day," Dr Hunte said.
"All during his playing days and since he left the field of play, Sir Garry has been a true champion in West Indies cricket. He was an extra-ordinary cricketer who performed some super-human feats on the field. He was simply the best! He has always displayed a tremendous love and passion for West Indies cricket and helped in many ways to contribute to the development of the game. He always remained humble and never lost the common touch."
Garfield Sobers was born on July 28, 1936 in St Michael, Barbados. He made 8,032 runs and took 236 wickets on 93 Test matches. In 383 first-class matches, he made 28,314 runs and took 1,043 wickets. His 365 not out was the world record highest Test score from 1958 to 1994. He was knighted in 1975 for his services to cricket.
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Special 75th birthday greetings to Sir Garfield Sobers
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mapoui
- Posts: 8507
- Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:07 pm
ohmi gord! skunt hunter get another chance to write a letter.
especially of congratulations dat man like nutten better dan to write a letter!
.
anyting at all letter in we nose!
wesindies cricket failing, we cyar see him, he doing crap..letter.
gayle make a thousand, gayle fiyared...letter.
chandepaul and dem getting wood from he new coach ...letter.
beckles calling people mafia don ignoring dat he too is a don of the wicb mafia...letter....
Kanhai 75...no letter?
did'nt he write to kanhai on 75?
especially of congratulations dat man like nutten better dan to write a letter!
.anyting at all letter in we nose!
wesindies cricket failing, we cyar see him, he doing crap..letter.
gayle make a thousand, gayle fiyared...letter.
chandepaul and dem getting wood from he new coach ...letter.
beckles calling people mafia don ignoring dat he too is a don of the wicb mafia...letter....
Kanhai 75...no letter?
did'nt he write to kanhai on 75?
Last edited by mapoui on Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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mapoui
- Posts: 8507
- Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:07 pm
SOBERS 75 EH!
the greatest westindian cricketer who ever lived. arguably the greatest cricketer who ever lived as wel, so talented he silenced you. how is is possible for one man to be so incredbily talented and me, a man with ambitions, had to slave to hit a decent 4444444?
people watched Sobers! silence! shook their heads wen he was done and went on their ways. no words, no answers were possible in the face of dat man.
and on top of it Sobers never practiced much, used his body in ways that would be unthinkable today when sportsment eat, right, sleep right, discover their individual physical rythyms and food requirments and live only that way to optimise their physicality.
for 20 years none of that seemed to matter to Sobers. drink, sleepless, still go out and score a ton next day...or take many wickets and catches.
the term "lean on a ball and the kids around the boundary boads fought for the right to return it to the field of play" i saw made real with my own eyes...at the QPO as Sobers beat up on England and on India. I thought it was just a defensive shot...but the midwicket ended-up chasing a losing battle to the fence.
I saw Sobers on film score his amazing 132 at Brisbane, in the tied-test. then his 174, fourth test in 1966...then his 254 against young raging Lillee and Bob Massie. only Kanhaiwas comparable for skill, pure naked talent and skill, perfect balance at the wicket, movement, orthodoxy made creative
if Kanhai had a weakness it was prolly one of focus and concentration that seemed to lapse at times, especially when he wud get out for no apparent reason, certainly not the ball, when well set in his nineties. Sobers had a weakness against left-hand legspinners. for some reason, prolly of some unsighting they caused him Bowlers like Bob Barber and Salim Durani got Sobers at crucial times for the westindies.
but those listed innings of Sobers above is batting master class supreme. that is an area of achievement within which very few exist, historically, currently. pure genius!
the greatest westindian cricketer who ever lived. arguably the greatest cricketer who ever lived as wel, so talented he silenced you. how is is possible for one man to be so incredbily talented and me, a man with ambitions, had to slave to hit a decent 4444444?
people watched Sobers! silence! shook their heads wen he was done and went on their ways. no words, no answers were possible in the face of dat man.
and on top of it Sobers never practiced much, used his body in ways that would be unthinkable today when sportsment eat, right, sleep right, discover their individual physical rythyms and food requirments and live only that way to optimise their physicality.
for 20 years none of that seemed to matter to Sobers. drink, sleepless, still go out and score a ton next day...or take many wickets and catches.
the term "lean on a ball and the kids around the boundary boads fought for the right to return it to the field of play" i saw made real with my own eyes...at the QPO as Sobers beat up on England and on India. I thought it was just a defensive shot...but the midwicket ended-up chasing a losing battle to the fence.
I saw Sobers on film score his amazing 132 at Brisbane, in the tied-test. then his 174, fourth test in 1966...then his 254 against young raging Lillee and Bob Massie. only Kanhaiwas comparable for skill, pure naked talent and skill, perfect balance at the wicket, movement, orthodoxy made creative
if Kanhai had a weakness it was prolly one of focus and concentration that seemed to lapse at times, especially when he wud get out for no apparent reason, certainly not the ball, when well set in his nineties. Sobers had a weakness against left-hand legspinners. for some reason, prolly of some unsighting they caused him Bowlers like Bob Barber and Salim Durani got Sobers at crucial times for the westindies.
but those listed innings of Sobers above is batting master class supreme. that is an area of achievement within which very few exist, historically, currently. pure genius!
Last edited by mapoui on Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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mapoui
- Posts: 8507
- Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 10:07 pm
the difference between Kanhai and sobers is one of volume. sobers was everything imaginable..naturally so...a leader upon whom all depended who almost always came up with the response required, no matter how dire the situation appeared to be.
one could never count out a sobers response, calculated to change a game, until he was actually out.
twice in 1968 Sobers pulled-off miracles to save westindies. once with Hall, the last man, batting almost 2 hours to earn a draw.
then on a desperate pitch at Sabina Park, saving westindies with an innings that must be among the greatest ever played for skill, courage in most dangerous conditions against a very tough england side.
1966 in England Sobers achieved wat is considered his golden summer, a season of such brilliance I dount it has ever been equalled...700+ runs, including 3 huge tons, lots of wickets and catches and a series win, 3-1 over england as captain.
by his achievements Sobers, in addition to those of Kanhai, actually became the glue that knitted the westindies together.
in the absence of of all that has come to be... an all-round heritage that now includes Naipaul, James, Walcott, Stephane Gift and capildeo in mathematics, Carlisle Chang the artist, historian Williams, Nobel Economist Lewis etc...Sobers and Kanhai were the brightest stars in our brilliant cricket tradition, that made the westindies proud, contributed greatly to the sense of collective nationhood the region still retains, however starved of attention that sense of regional nationhood might be at this time
one could never count out a sobers response, calculated to change a game, until he was actually out.
twice in 1968 Sobers pulled-off miracles to save westindies. once with Hall, the last man, batting almost 2 hours to earn a draw.
then on a desperate pitch at Sabina Park, saving westindies with an innings that must be among the greatest ever played for skill, courage in most dangerous conditions against a very tough england side.
1966 in England Sobers achieved wat is considered his golden summer, a season of such brilliance I dount it has ever been equalled...700+ runs, including 3 huge tons, lots of wickets and catches and a series win, 3-1 over england as captain.
by his achievements Sobers, in addition to those of Kanhai, actually became the glue that knitted the westindies together.
in the absence of of all that has come to be... an all-round heritage that now includes Naipaul, James, Walcott, Stephane Gift and capildeo in mathematics, Carlisle Chang the artist, historian Williams, Nobel Economist Lewis etc...Sobers and Kanhai were the brightest stars in our brilliant cricket tradition, that made the westindies proud, contributed greatly to the sense of collective nationhood the region still retains, however starved of attention that sense of regional nationhood might be at this time
Last edited by mapoui on Thu Jul 28, 2011 8:24 pm, edited 3 times in total.
