Gros Islet, St Lucia – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has joined cricket lovers all over the world in congratulating Sir Garfield Sobers on reaching a special milestone. The former Barbados and West Indies captain and allrounder celebrates his 75th birthday on Thursday.
In a special note to mark the occasion, WICB President Dr Julian Hunte saluted the legend.
"On behalf of the WICB, the cricketing family of the West Indies and cricket lovers all around the world I want to salute Sir Garry and wish him all the best on reaching this special birthday. There are many people around the globe who were blessed to see his amazing exploits on the field of play and millions others who have come to learn of his heroics. Everyone will want to join and wish Sir Garry many happy returns on his big day," Dr Hunte said.
"All during his playing days and since he left the field of play, Sir Garry has been a true champion in West Indies cricket. He was an extra-ordinary cricketer who performed some super-human feats on the field. He was simply the best! He has always displayed a tremendous love and passion for West Indies cricket and helped in many ways to contribute to the development of the game. He always remained humble and never lost the common touch."
Garfield Sobers was born on July 28, 1936 in St Michael, Barbados. He made 8,032 runs and took 236 wickets on 93 Test matches. In 383 first-class matches, he made 28,314 runs and took 1,043 wickets. His 365 not out was the world record highest Test score from 1958 to 1994. He was knighted in 1975 for his services to cricket.