The Incomparable Garfield St. Aubyn Sobers

Reflecting on the life and times of Garfield St. Aubyn Sobers, I cannot help but feel that all who saw him play cricket were blessed and privileged to have seen him. I can also say without fear of contradiction that I saw cricket the way cricket should have been played and that I would never see anyone else play cricket like that again.

In explaining cricket to someone who has never seen a cricket match, one would say that there are three major aspects to the game: batting, bowling, and fielding; that bowling can be either fast or spin; and that spin can be either finger or wrist. Sobers is the only cricketer in the history of the game who mastered batting and every type of bowling, as well as all the different aspects of fielding. Many of us are familiar with the saying, “Jack of all trades and master of none,” but Sobers was the Master of All Trades!

Even if he was on an opposing team to yours, one could not help but enjoy his presence on the field. What was even more endearing to all who saw cricket was that he played the game with such joy and grace that you could not keep your eyes off him. He filled us with a sense of satisfaction such as in the taste of a perfect glass of wine, the sounds of a Bach symphony, or the tones of an aria by Pavarotti.

In short, Sir Garry was to cricket what William Shakespeare was to literature.

Sobers challenged our imagination like no other cricketer. He did not merely do things better than others, but did things differently and with such a joyous spirit. Sobers respected his fellow cricketers, and his generosity of spirit was legendary. Rarely are geniuses so beloved, kind, and humble, but the Baron was all three. He realized that he was an entertainer, and I remember reading about an exhibition game he had been playing in Malaysia, where thousands had come to see him bat, and he was out for a duck first ball. Sobers dutifully opened the bowling and took five wickets in the space of two overs. With the multitudes suitably satiated by his exploits, he retired to the outfield to allow others to shine.

Rest in peace, my hero. You have given me and millions of cricket fans all over the world much pleasure over the years, revealing what a wonderful human being you were. You showed us how to live with joy and humility.