West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers passes away

Sir Garfield Sobers, one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history and a former West Indies captain, died  on Friday at the age of 89. The death of the legendary cricketer was confirmed by his son Daniel. His death at his home in Barbados only 11 days shy of his 90th birthday was announced by Cricket West Indies on Friday, with the simple line: “A great innings has come to an end. In our hearts, now and forever, Sir Garfield Sobers.”  One of the finest all-rounders the game has ever seen, Sobers played 93 Tests and scored 8,032 runs at 57.78 with 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries between March 1954 to April 1974. A left-handed batter and also a left-arm fast medium pace bowler, Sobers claimed 235 wickets in Test cricket. He played in a solitary ODI, taking one wicket. He was also the first-ever batter to have hit six sixes in an over in First-Class cricket, playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan in 1968.

Sir Garfield Sobers (1936–2026)

Cricket has lost one of its greatest-ever players.

Sir Garfield Sobers, widely regarded as the finest all-rounder in the history of the game, passed away at the age of 89.

Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sobers redefined cricketing excellence.… pic.twitter.com/RYzaYml58i

— Sanjay Kishore (@saintkishore) July 17, 2026

He began his career in 1954 against England in Kingston, Jamaica, scoring 40 runs across two innings and picking four wickets. The very first of Sobers' 26 hundreds was a then-world record 365* against Pakistan, an innings during which he overtook Len Hutton's 364. Several years later, Sobers was present when his fellow West Indian Brian Lara broke his record against England in 1994 in Antigua.
Sobers was also a member of the famous Frank Worrell touring party to Australia in 1960/61, featuring in an enthralling five-Test series that was won by the hosts 2-1. The first Test of the series in Brisbane was the first-ever tied Test in the history of the game, with Sobers setting up his team with a brilliant 132 in the first innings. He ended the series with 430 runs and 15 wickets. In 2009, Sobers was inducted as an inaugural member of the ICC Hall of Fame. In his later years Sobers was often seen watching West Indies’ matches at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, sitting on a wicker chair at the top of the Worrell, Weekes and Walcott Stand next to the pavilion that bears his name. He is also immortalised in a statue at the same end of the ground, playing a straight drive with a flourish to denote his swashbuckling approach with the bat.
Jay Shah, ICC Chairman, said: "Today, the cricket world has lost one of its greatest icons. Sir Garfield Sobers was not only the finest all-rounder the game has ever known, but one of the greatest cricketers in history.