When the ball was up, he drove — with timing and power beyond the capability of lesser men bound by the limitations of the mortal. CRR: 3.09, Police SC need 61 runs in 63 balls. They finished the fourth day strongly enough at 139 for 3, but with the pitch taking turn, Intikhab Alam and Bishan Bedi worked through the tail. The series in 1971-72, arranged as a substitute for the cancelled South African tour that year, moved to Melbourne for the third ‘Test’.And there was no respite from the furious shelling. If you want to know something about him you have to get him drunk, or wait till he uses the information in a separate argument. This was Sobers' 254. Gary Sobers: Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, AO, OCC, also known as Gary or Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974, and is widely considered to be crickets greatest all-rounder. That evening I went to the dressing room where Ian was sitting and said to him, ‘You’ve got a boy here called Lillee. Also, this bar was just about right behind the bowler's arm, up a few levels. Even though my dad and I rarely agree on anything cricket-related, he is the reason why I love cricket. 17 Facts about Gary Sobers: Arguably the Greatest Cricketer. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. | Updated : January 28, 2016 11:43 AM IST. RRR: 9.08, SL Army need 3 runs in 52 balls. It was 13 years since Sobers had made his 365, and quite a few years since his six sixes in an over. You're signed out. Watching Garry Sobers' famous innings for the World XI at the MCG was a near-religious experience for one part-time bartender. His 5 off 66 balls (which oddly led to me getting married) was more painful than it sounds. About. “Any other batsman would have been bowled, but this bloke had the time to open the face of the bat and hit it past point,” recalled John Benaud, a minor character in the match. I ran up and I bowled this bouncer, and it whizzed past Dennis and he looked at me and he had turned completely pink. Autoplay is paused. He has no real memory of who was on either side. Garfield Sobers 150* vs England at Lords 1973. Recently my dad found footage of the innings. It wasn't just him. Massie bowled full and Sobers initially thought it was going to swing away from him. When I was growing up, people would ask him if he wanted me to bat like Viv Richards. Garry Sobers annihilates Australia with a merciless 254 Garry Sobers annihilates Australia with a merciless 254 The innings Don Bradman called the greatest he had seen on Australian soil. According to Sobers: “Tony Greig is like an elephant; he doesn’t forget anything. Sir Gary Sobers 254 vs Australia 1971/72. Sobers square-drove it past point and O’Keefe hardly had time to react before it hit the cement and bounced back into the field. Gary Sobers sitting in the dressing room and seeing the eventual, opened up his bottle of rum and had a few. CRR: 3.30, Day 1 - South Aust chose to bat. Very few could bat. It was far more likely that only the true cricket fans would turn out. The spinners were driven and lofted with uncanny quickness of eye and feet, and a thorough disdain for their length, line and reputation. Still, he believes it, and he was the one watching Sobers and the one telling this story. A non-Test match involving such names as Hylton Ackerman and Norman Gifford was never going to bring out that cauldron nature. At school he was the fast-bowling athlete others wanted to be. Everyone, though, had their own cricketing origin story. The other thing that stays the same is the ending: "I got paid to watch one of the best innings of all time.". He writes about the history and the romance of the game, punctuated often by opinions about modern day cricket, while his post-graduate degree in statistics peeps through in occasional analytical pieces. Peter Pollock, who scored 54 and added 186 runs with his captain for the eighth wicket, went up to Sobers time and again, asking him not to give it away. Everyone played. RRR: 0.34, Live Report - India vs England, 4th Test, Ahmedabad, 3rd day, The audacious, and gloriously disrespectful Rishabh Pant, 'Unbelievable... sensational... 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By Deivarayan Muthu. But while Sachin was out there I noticed every tug of his pads, every ruffle of his gloves and readjustment of his helmet. So there might have been a bit of sadness in my dad when Gavaskar got out to Terry Jenner, who back then was just another Australian legspinner yet to taste the slammer or fly around the world trying to create another Shane Warne - although maybe my dad enjoyed the wicket anyway, because he also loved spinners and was forever going on about hacks no one had heard of, people like Peter Sleep and Ashley Mallett and Trevor Hohns. Every little thing was important to me. 4:22. A few brave people were whispering retirement. My cousin Joel and I had backpacked across South Africa to see Australia win a World Cup, and got robbed in Durban along the way. He was also a rubbish student, so rubbish that he was asked to leave school, which partly explains why on the third day of that January he wasn't relaxing on holidays but was instead working a second job: as a barman at the MCG, on the mezzanine level between the Olympic and Members' stands. 2:38. The fielders saw the ball rocketing between them, stood rooted to the ground and shrugged. When you ask my dad how it was to be a barman at the MCG, he only ever talks about this one day. The few hours at the crease saw dominance never witnessed before. It was amazing stuff,” recalls Lillee. Doug Walters scored a century, but the World XI triumphed by 96 runs to level the series. We gave him a standing ovation and I nursed my next beer. There was another great stroke, a gem that shone brightly even in that dazzling display of fireworks. My dad was at his ground, watching his favourite player, in an empty bar with a balcony just perfect for viewing. Soon after the dismissal of Sobers, World XI were all out for 514. So watch out for me when he comes in.’ ”. RRR: 9.69, Colts need 109 runs in 72 balls. Find Sobers's Records, Biography, Centuries, Runs, wickets. In my dad's story, Sobers isn't Sobers but Batman with Superman's powers. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The story of my birth takes him only a few seconds. Not many, though - because the barman was out on the balcony watching the game. And he had seen quite a lot. My old man is past 60. This is an edited extract of an article included in the book Australia: Story of a Cricket Country, Jarrod Kimber is 50% of the Two Chucks, and the mind responsible for cricketwithballs.com, Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, When I ask my dad who else played in that World XI, he has no idea. “I head over in his direction to congratulate him … just the two of us are in a quiet corner, and after I pour him a beer, he has a sip and then says, ‘Prue’s left me.’ Prue being his wife who lived in Melbourne in those days. I know nothing about the moment he met my mother or how he proposed. CRR: 2.05, Canterbury need 154 runs from 26.5 overs. I said: ‘Sobie, if that’s the bloody thing that’s annoying you so much, give me her phone number, and I’ll tell her to get bloody home straight away.’ You know, he just laughed. However, the great left hander continued to belt boundary after boundary, with power and grace and sublime timing. His charisma alone was probably worth 70 runs. This was Sobers, world record-holder, suave strokemaker, ladies man, one of the finest cricketers ever. Bradman, no soft touch when it came to criticism, rated it the greatest innings he had ever seen on Australian soil His real apprenticeship started at the age of 12 when, as the kid next door, he started bowling in the nets to members of the fashionable Wanderers Club, earning a 50-cent piece every time he knocked it off the centre stump. I didn't want to see it, because I thought it might ruin the memories that I had of him telling it to me. “I had three men square on the off side for the short delivery, and I remember him driving and cutting repeatedly between them. It is probably harsh to say he was over the hill; even now he'd be a better batsman for the Windies than Kirk Edwards. “When asked how did he did it, Sobers said, ‘’when I went out I … India were playing on Boxing Day and we hadn't caught up in ages, so we decided to do something we never really did, which was to have a few drinks while the Test was underway. It set the tone for the day. I want him to put a price on his wicket like Boycott.". Read about Garry Sobers's Profile, Latest News, Articles, Career updates only on ESPNcricinfo.com. On the day my dad talks about, he was pouring the beers at a largely pointless match between the Australians, who were supposed to be playing South Africa before they were turfed out of official cricket, and a chucked-together World XI. Surely, I say, someone came in? He always had the answer before they'd finished working out the question. Ian Chappell trudged into the rival dressing room that evening. His innings went from nervous-scratchy to frantic-nervous. That was the moment things changed for us. What followed was carnage. Lillee looked at Sobers and said, “I’ve heard about you and now I’ve got my tail cut properly.”. How much the spectators cared for this match can be guessed by the gate attendance. (Arunabha Sengupta is a cricket historian and Chief Cricket Writer at CricketCountry. But I know it will get him upset. As a cricket fan I find it strange that a contest boasting Gavaskar, two Pollocks, Zaheer, Bedi and Garry Sobers could not pull a bigger crowd. Suddenly he began playing a shot a ball. Sir Gary Sobers 254 vs Australia 197172 (Low) Yorkerbd1. There was no doubt this was going to be a huge drinking day. The innings I'll always remember was the Sobers' 252, the one that belongs to my dad. This was Sobers' 254. Every time I have gone in, all I have got from him is bouncers. All the talk went to Sachin. 04:30 IST | 23:00 GMT, 08 Mar, 2021 He is not a man for detail at the best of times, my dad. Whenever captain Garry Sobers had walked in, he had let fly a series of short pitched deliveries. That lasted as long as his cartilage-less knees did. It was too much for Joel and me so we kept on drinking. Coming out to bat at the start of that day, day three, was Zaheer Abbas, and with him was Sunil Gavaskar. He was coming to the end of a special career and giving the 'G one of its last glimpses of his magic. 19:00 IST | 13:30 GMT, West Indies vs Sri Lanka Live Cricket Score and Updates: WI vs SL 2nd T20I match Live cricket score at Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua, New Zealand vs Australia Live Cricket Score and Updates: NZ vs AUS 4th T20I match Live cricket score at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand vs Australia Live Cricket Score and Updates: NZ vs AUS 3rd T20I match Live cricket score at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand vs Australia Live Cricket Score and Updates: NZ vs AUS 2nd T20I match Live cricket score at University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand vs Australia Live Cricket Score and Updates: NZ vs AUS 1st T20I match Live cricket score at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. He doesn't even distinguish between the two days, the one where Sobers made 139 and the other where he took it to 254 (or 252 as my dad tells it). 1973 Sir Gary Sobers 150 vs England. The crowd stood as one to applaud each time he reached a milestone — hundred, hundred and fifty, double hundred, two hundred and fifty. Sachin started scratchy, not scratchy like Dravid or Jaffer, but nervous-scratchy, as if even he knew he may not play again in Melbourne. When you prod my dad for details of the innings, he finds that hard as well. That this might be the last we'd see. 19:00 IST | 13:30 GMT, 12 Mar, 2021 I played a little bit early and Keith Stackpole picked me up at second slip. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. And then he goes a bit quiet. And when deliveries came rearing into his body, he rocked back to pull and hook, furious and fearless. As per our current Database, Gary Sobers is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: May 10, 2020). I knew by that time that I had got him.”. ... Sobers played an innings of 254 which was described by Don Bradman as … World XI 184 (Tony Greig 66; Dennis Lillee 5 for 48) and 514 (Zaheer Abbas 86, Garry Sobers 254, Peter Pollock 54; Dennis Lillee 3 for 133, Terry Jenner 4 for 87) beat Australia 285 (Greg Chappell 115*; Garry Sobers 3 for 67, Tony Greig 4 for 41) and 317 (Ian Chappell 41, Doug Walters 127; Bishan Bedi 4 for 81, Intikhab Alam 3 for 83) by 96 runs. The fast men were carted all around the wicket. Join Facebook to connect with Gary Sobers and others you may know. Browse more videos. It's not anything like a match report, it's all personal, like Sobers was there for his pleasure, all the stars aligned. Three weeks earlier he had demolished the side at Perth with 8 for 29 in the first innings, taking nine wickets in a session. My old man might have been a big cricket fan but to give up guaranteed income from a second job is not in line with his devout working-class ethic. I held off for as long as I could, hoping he'd accidentally delete it from his DVR. Gary Sobers - Six Sixes in 1 over [eCric] goldenboy4824. By the end of the day, he was on 139 and World XI at a respectable 344 for 7. Qissa Cricket Ka : When Garry Sobers scored 150 runs with a hangover at lord's | … Then Stuart Clark bowled and Sachin played on to his stumps. Myself and Joel once had a similar experience at the 'G. The innings that Bradman said was "probably the greatest exhibition of batting ever seen in Australia". You can find out more-. The following day, Greg Chappell led the Australian reply with an attractive century, but Sobers, Tony Greig and Intikhab Alam bowled steadily to restrict the lead within manageable limits. The fewer punters there were, the less beer he'd have to serve and the more time he'd have to watch the cricketers he loved. Download Images Watch Videos online When Salim Durrani Asked Ajit Wadekar For A Drink And Promised To Get Gary Sobers Out India's twin wins in the West Indies were historic firsts, … The innings I'll always remember was the Sobers' 252, the one that belongs to my dad. Sobers changed his shot halfway through the downswing, and instead of hitting it through the off-side hit it between Jenner at mid-wicket and Benaud at mid-on. Even with the camera set up at one end of the ground, grainy footage, and a lack commenters telling you how special each shot was, Sobers' 254 was one of the most amazing innings to watch. Sobers had gone in to the Australian dressing room yet again and Ian Chappell confided to him, “I’ll tell you something: when Dennis came in, before he reached the room, the bat hit the wall, and he said, ‘That little so-and-so, I will show him. Occasionally I prompt it, just because it's been a while since I've heard it, and other times he segues into it like he's moving into his comfy clothes before watching the Pies play on a Sunday afternoon. You can see he is reliving it. And it didn’t make any difference — he came out and belted us again.”. 9:03. Boundaries were coming. Sir Garfield Sobers, AO, OCC, also known as Gary or Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. Even if you only see a few balls, you've seen Sobers, perhaps for the last time, perhaps not, but why risk it? From a medical or blood-alcohol point of view I cannot explain it. I am never sure whether to believe this or not. When his turn to bat came he went out and scored his fastest hundred,” he wrote. Not that he was under pressure. He was dropped, mocked and booed. Sobers started with a blistering square-cut past point that sped to the fence at a rate almost approaching the speed of light. But one day, before I realised, he put it on. Sobers recalls: “I went in to bat in the first innings and Dennis came up with a short-pitched ball. It can't, though, have been the very worst job he ever had. When I was nine my dad decided that since I was only average at wicketkeeping and bowled slower than any other kid my age, he'd make me into a spin bowler. Gary Sobers, sitting in the dressing room and seeing the eventual, opened up his bottle of rum and had a few.