OTD | One of greatest all rounders of the game, Gary Sobers turns 87 

Regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Sir Garfield Sobers, better known as Gary Sobers, turned 87 today (Friday, July 28). With his all-around exploits, the former West Indian set multiple records, some of which are still unmatched today. Sobers, who grew up in Barbados, made his international debut against England in 1954, kicking off a remarkable journey.

A stylish and powerful batter, Sobers has scored over 8000 runs at an average of over 57 in 93 Test matches. He has 2 double hundreds, 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries to his credit, including an unbeaten 365 against Pakistan. Surprisingly, his maiden Test ton remains the highest individual score from either side.

His knack to bowl left-arm orthodox spin, as well as left-arm swing and left-arm wrist spin, distinguished him as a rare genius. He has taken 235 wickets at an average of under 35. His best bowling figures in an innings are 6/73 and 8/80 in a match.

Sobers was capable of pulling off almost anything on a cricket field!

Adding decorations to his versatility, he was also a dynamic fielder who displayed it by fielding in multiple fielding positions. Sobers was once described as a ‘five-in-one cricketer’ by cricket great Donald Bradman. Apart from wicket-keeping and umpiring, there is nothing that Sobers cannot pull off on a cricket field, which makes him worthy of being called the greatest all-rounder of all time.

As years passed, cricket received great all-rounders like Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, and the most recent addition to the list, Jacques Kallis, but Sobers continues to lead the list. Only Kallis matches Sobers in terms of batting average among all-rounders who have played a significant number of matches. The former South African cricketer played over 160 Test matches, averaging over 55 with the bat and under 33 with the ball.

Sobers also played one ODI match before ending his illustrious 20-year career as the highest run-scorer in Tests, second-highest wicket-taker for West Indies and third overall in the list of most catches by non-wicket keepers. According to experts, there are only two cricketers who can genuinely make it to the list of greatest cricketers, one is Sobers and the other is Bradman, who has a batting average of over 99 after playing 50 Test matches.