Cricket legend Sir Garfield Sobers, accompanied by his wife, attended the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 match between Australia and England at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Wednesday. Sobers, an iconic figure in cricket history, enjoyed the thrilling encounter between the two sides in their age-old rivalry.
Who is Sir Garfield Sobers?
Sir Garfield Sobers, one of the first and finest all-rounders of all time, played for the West Indies for two decades from 1954 to 1974. He made his debut for the West Indies at the age of 17 as a bowler but quickly excelled with the bat. In 1958, Sobers achieved fame by scoring 375 runs in a Test against Pakistan, setting the then-highest individual Test score in an innings, a record that stood for nearly 40 years before being surpassed by Brian Lara.
During his illustrious career, Sobers played 93 Tests, scoring 8032 runs at an average of 57.78 and taking 235 wickets. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 and was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009. Sobers was named the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1964 and was honored as the Cricketer of the Century in 2000.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) commemorates Sir Garfield Sobers' achievements through the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, one of the most prestigious awards in cricket, given annually to the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year. The award was first presented to Rahul Dravid in 2004 and has been won twice by former Australian cricketers Ricky Ponting and Mitchell Johnson, as well as India's Virat Kohli.
