The Right Excellent Sir Garfield St. Aubrun Sobers – aka Garry Sobers

A legend :

I started following cricket after I received a reply from Mr. Joseph Zachariah, my Prep School House Master in June 1972. I had written during my monsoon break and mentioned that I did not know how to spend my days at home. Fatally, he suggested that I follow the Unofficial Test match going on between India and Ceylon ( Sri Lanka now), on the radio. I found the radio station and started listening. My passion for the game started then.

However, I do not know when the name Garry Sobers slipped into my consciousness. He seemed to always be there whenever I discussed the great game. He was like a permanent fixture in my cricketing memory. I watched him, for the first time, when Mr. Gundu Rao, played a special screening of the famous, first, Tied Test between Australia and the West Indies. He was a part of a team that was regrouping after two of the three W’s had left the scene. Rohan Kanhai, Joe Solomon, Conrad Hunte, Lance Gibbs, Sonny Ramadhin & Alf Valentine went on to play many times for the West Indies. Jerry Alexander, often forgotten, was the Vice captain and an efficient keeper batsman.

Forget all the above. Let’s just understand the legend’s performance, in relation to modern cricket.

Here goes :

To be a top level cricketer, one must overcome the fear of the cricket ball. A cricket ball used in games played by male adults weighs between 156.9 & 163 grams. Take a hard object of that weight and chuck it across a length of 22 yards or 66 feet – you will get an idea of what I mean by fear.

Today, we watch a diluted version of cricket. Batsmen are togged up in armour like kit and protection gear. Therefore, you do not see even a number 11 batsman move to the leg side even while facing the fastest bowlers. When Garry was playing top level cricket, the following were the main differences:

No Balls – in the 60’s a delivery was called a No Ball not by where the front foot landed but if the rear foot cut the return crease. Therefore, the length of the pitch was effectively shorter than it is today.

There were no limits on the number of bouncers you could bowl in an over. In an old Australian rules over consisting of 8 balls ( changed to 6 in the 70’s) you could face 8 bouncers. Not very pleasant if you did not care much for quick short pitched bowling.

There were no helmets, arm/ elbow guards, thigh pads while he played, even in the early 70’s. As a guard, Garry would sometimes stuff a pair of socks in his right side trouser pocket.

Many games were played on uncovered wickets – i.e. if rain came down while the game was on, there were no covers. Often, after the rain had stopped and water dried, the wicket developed cracks and inundations. If the ball pitched on these cracks or indentations, it would either fly off the wicket or scoot along the ground.

Even today’s greats have been knocked on the head more than once in their international careers – batsmen in Garry’s era could not afford to get hit flush on their heads – they could die. Most people would have heard of what happened to Nari Contractor. Batsmen did not get hurt because they ducked under bouncers and only played attacking shots to the short ball, if they were good at playing the hook or pull. Today, with all the protective equipment even number 11 thinks he can hook and pull the fastest.

Boundaries were not shortened as they are now in limited overs games and even in modern tests. Running 3 runs and sometimes 4 to a shot was pretty normal, not exceptional as it is today.

There was no ‘injury management’ program for players. You only got paid if you played.

If possible, try and see how thin bats were in the olden days. You had a sweet spot in the blade where the ball raced off the bat – today, the whole bat including it’s edges are sweet spots.

If you can, do try and see what the old pads ( leg guards) and gloves were like. It just didn’t save you from injury. So, you did everything to ensue that you played well and with the bat.

Comparison Overview

Feature	Old/Traditional Leg Guards	New/Modern Leg Guards
Primary Materials	Leather, heavy cotton wadding, and cane rods.	High-density (HD) foam, polyurethane (PU), and advanced polymers.
Weight	Heavy (typically 1.3 kg to 1.5 kg per pad).	Ultra-lightweight (often 800 g to 900 g per pad).
Bulk & Mobility	Stiff, thick, and bulky; restricts footwork and running between wickets.	Slim-profile and ergonomic; molds to the leg for unhindered movement.
Protection	Relies on bulky cane rods to absorb impact.	Relies on scientifically engineered, shock-absorbing HD foam and sometimes fiberglass inserts.
Straps	Traditional 3-strap system.	Often a 2-strap molded or hybrid system for better calf flexion.

Remember, each time you took a run you were carrying almost one modern day pad weight extra.

Sledging, often racial abuse, was common in cricket. You had to develop a thick skin. Sobers was a recipient to such abuse too.

Now, to understand why Sobers is a great in sheer numbers – see this chart below:

Test Batting:

Sir Donald Bradman: 99.94

Graeme Pollock: 60.97
Garfield Sobers: 57.78

Higher than modern great batsmen like Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Sangakkara and Steve Smith.

Test Bowling:

In 93 tests he got 232 wickets at an average of 34.05 per wicket. Sobers bowled Quick, swing, regular spin and chinamen deliveries.

He also took 109 Test catches.

He held the record of the highest test score of 365 not out till Lara overtook him.

He was the first to hit six 6’s in an over.

The way he massacred opposition pace attacks, especially that of Australia is legendary. If he played the game today, he would have been to cricket, a combination of Pele,Maradona and Messi I guess. Remember, he played 93 tests and countless first class matches, he enjoyed a good evening out after a day’s play and could do anything any player needed to do on a cricket field, even keep wickets, if asked.

They do not make players like Garry Sobers anymore – the mould has been put away forever. Sir Garfield, thank you for the memories.

I would give anything to have watched this great player take on modern opposition just so that people really knew what quality is. Today, Legend and Great are used so often, we have made it easy for the average player to be counted as one. In my view Garry Sobers was the greatest all-rounder that the game has seen. Legend and Great would sit easily on his head.

Asgard Thor aka Koshy Varghese