Read on Twitter
Hmm, he was born with six fingers in each hand. What more? He grew up watching Frank Worrell, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes at the Wanderers club. And soon Denis Atkinson noted his burgeoning potential. (Cont) https://twitter.com/ImMayankB/status/1287920397715832832
The story goes Atkinson wanted someone to bowl at him. Grandison, the curator, took up the name of Sobers.
Atkinson would keep one shilling on each of the stumps. Sobers had to shatter the timber, and the prize would be...
Atkinson would keep one shilling on each of the stumps. Sobers had to shatter the timber, and the prize would be...
Atkinson ensured that Sobers would play for Police CC. The Barbados side also kept an eye on him. In a few of Barbados' net sessions, he would be stationed at covers. Sobers shone brightly by stopping some rocket-like shots from Walcott!!!
What else? In 1952-53, the youngster made his fc debut for Barbados against the touring Indians. At that time, he was basically a SLA, and was known for keeping it tight. The kind of bowler who could do quite well in modern day T20s too!
Sobers dismissed Umrigar with a trademark arm-ball in that game. He made his Test debut against Hutton's ENG. He picked up a four-for and batted at number 9. This game is significant for Sobers ducking into a bouncer from Treuman. The story goes that was the last time he ducked
It was during the tour of England (a few years later) that he started to try seam-up. He learnt the art of generating swing and also wrist-spin.
His returns with the bat were modest. But something was about to change. The defining moment of his career came during the Kingston Test v PAK. He was sent in at three. Sobers grabbed the opportunity... he just didn't look like getting out. Yes, finished with 365*.
He went on to accumulate 7176 runs in his next 77 Tests at 62.94! The turning point of his career was that Kingston Test. Runs flowed like a gushing river from his bat. Tons and double hundreds. Bradman admired his 132 at the Gabba in 1960-61. And it was followed by 168... SCG.
He bowled unchanged... 41 overs on the trot at the MCG. By the end of 1960s, Griffith and Hall had mostly faded away. Sobers had to open the bowling and then come in as say second change and bowl spin too! He bowled both seam and spin to pick up a six-for v AUS at the Gabba
However, a floating bone in his shoulder restricted him from trying wrist-spin. Of course, by then, he had tonked Glamorgan's Malcolm Nash for six sixes.
His exploits for RoW XI v ENG and Australians. He rocked the England boys by bowling seam and accumulated a brilliant 183 at Lord's. While playing against the Australians, Lillee had troubled him. However, at the MCG, he tore apart Lillee with eye-catching cuts and drives
He also bounced out Lillee in the same game, giving back a taste of his own medicine.
Why was Sobers a captain's dream? Excellent close-in fielder, he could make brilliant stops at cover, bowled seam, swing and as Neil Harvey noted he had the ability to surprise the batsman with a nippy short ball. His quick-arm helping him to dig it short at waspish pace.
Sobers wasn't a big turner of the ball but had very good control as a left-arm spinner. He could then slip in the occasional chinaman too!! Of course, his wonderful record as a batsman..
The only point that goes against him? Sobers wasn't exactly rated highly as a captain.
On a side note, when Sobers broke Hutton's record with that epochal 365, the latter congratulated him through a cable. Bygone era. Different times!
