1954–1957: early Test career Sobers had progressed quickly and made his Test debut in March 1954, aged 17, against
England at
Sabina Park in
Kingston, Jamaica, for the fifth and final Test, after
Alf Valentine had fallen ill. Sobers was selected as a bowler, despite only mediocre performances against England for Barbados. He made a good impression by taking 4/75 in England's first innings, including a wicket in his opening over. Sobers also scored 14 not out and 26 batting at number nine; however, England won the match by nine wickets. Australia toured the West Indies in
1954–55, and their all-rounder
Keith Miller thought that Sobers would become a better batsman than bowler despite batting in the lower-order. Sobers was not selected for the First Test, which the West Indies lost by nine wickets. However, he regained his place for the Second Test in
Port of Spain,
Trinidad and Tobago. The match was a high-scoring draw, with Sobers scoring 47 and eight not out. He was barely used with the ball, bowling three overs for ten runs, as Australia amassed a first-innings total of over 600. Sobers was given a further opportunity in the next Test in
Georgetown, Guyana (British Guiana at the time) in
South America. Despite scoring only 12 and 11 with the bat, he took three wickets in the Australians' first innings. Nevertheless, Australia won by eight wickets. West Indian captain and opening batsman
Jeff Stollmeyer twisted his ankle after treading on a ball ahead of the Fourth Test in Barbados, "triggering huge debate about who should open." Eventually, Sobers was chosen to open the innings after Australia had amassed another total of over 600. Sobers had a suspicion he might be asked to do the job. "I couldn't see them sending in anyone else—I was a bowler with a little ability as a batsman and they wanted someone to help see off the shine and protect the
three Ws." Sobers struck his first three deliveries for boundaries, all from the bowling of Miller. In the fast bowler's second over, Sobers hit him for another three fours. He was eventually dismissed for 43 out of a first-wicket partnership of 52 with
John Holt. The match was drawn, and Sobers took one wicket in the Australians' only innings, before scoring 11 in the West Indies second innings. The home team were again defeated in the fifth and final Test in Jamaica. Sobers performed with the bat, however, scoring 35 not out and 64. Playing in all four Tests, he totalled 81 runs and two wickets. As a batsman, Sobers needed time to develop at Test level and, in nine Tests as a teenager, he scored only one half century, and averaged 29.33 with the bat. Sobers was sent home from New Zealand early to play an unofficial Test match against an England team that included feared fast-bowler
Frank Tyson. After struggling to cope with Tyson's pace, Sobers managed to score a half-century, raising hope that he would be selected for the upcoming tour to England, something he considered unlikely after his lack of form. In the first trial match to help select the squad for the upcoming tour, Sobers scored a century in Trinidad. The matches also saw Sobers get his first look at West Indian cricket politics.
Wes Hall and
Frank Mason were competing for a single place in the touring party, and Sobers and
Everton Weekes decided they "would take on Mason and knock him out of the firing line to try and get our fellow Bajan (countryman) Wes in the team." The pair attacked Mason, while they defended Hall in a tactic that paid off with Hall selected, despite Sobers believing Mason was the better bowler at the time. His performances with the bat throughout the five Test series were classed as mediocre, scoring 320 runs at 32, with three half centuries. On the bowling front, Sobers struggled, taking five wickets at 71. After England had scored 412, the West Indies were easily dismissed for 89 and 86 by the
Surrey spinners
Jim Laker and
Tony Lock, who were playing on their home ground. Batting at number 3, Sobers made 39 and 42, while none of his colleagues passed 30 in either innings. In its summary of the tour,
Wisden said: "(of the newcomers)
Collie Smith, Sobers,
Rohan Kanhai and
Roy Gilchrist were particularly impressive"; adding that "to Sobers, a tall left-handed all-rounder, fell the distinction of hitting the highest score of the tour: 219 not out against Nottinghamshire at
Trent Bridge. Sobers undoubtedly was a very fine stroke-player who should go far".
1958–1964: 365 not out At this stage of his career, Sobers had frustrated his admirers by failing to convert good starts into high scores. He had reached double figures in 18 of his 22 Test innings, although his highest score was still only 66. But, in the three years following the 1957 tour, he fulfilled his promise. In his next 24 Tests, he scored 2,250 runs at the exceptionally high average of 93.75. In 1958, he scored his maiden Test century against
Pakistan in Kingston and expanded it to an unbeaten 365, breaking the
world record Test score of 364 set by England's
Len Hutton in 1938. Sobers batted for 614 minutes and scored 38 fours but, unusually in such a large total, no sixes. At 21 years and 216 days, he is the youngest player to break the individual scoring record in Tests, and remains the youngest triple-centurion. Sir Garfield Sobers set the world records for the highest maiden test ton (365*) as well as becoming the first batsman in test history to convert his maiden test ton into a triple ton. He made 824 runs with three centuries in the five Tests against Pakistan, and followed this with 557 runs and three more centuries on the West Indies tour of
India in 1958–59. Sobers underwent trauma following the death of Collie Smith in September 1959, but he continued to play cricket successfully. In the home Test series against England in 1959–60, he scored three centuries in five matches, totalling 709 runs. Largely inspired by new West Indies captain Sir
Frank Worrell, who was a close personal friend, Sobers had an outstanding
1960–61 series in Australia. He scored a celebrated 132 on the first day of the First Test at
Brisbane Cricket Ground, the match which resulted in the first
Tied Test.
Wisden said "some observers considered it the best hundred they had ever seen". Sobers scored 430 runs in the series, which Australia won 2–1, with two centuries; his fielding was outstanding and he took 12 catches. He felt he had "had a good series, starting badly but then coming on" and a very positive outcome for him was to receive an invitation from
Don Bradman to play for
South Australia in 1961–62. Sobers took 15 wickets in the 1960–61 series, including a best analysis of 5/120, at an average of 39.20, and his bowling allowed Worrell to play an extra batsman in the final three Tests, thus using Sobers for the first time as a designated all-rounder, a role in which he became the dominant player in world cricket over the next decade, being awarded the
Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World title (retrospectively) eight times in 13 years. Sobers was never a prolific wicket-taker in Test cricket, and his average of three wickets per game in this series typified his whole career. Overall, he took 235 wickets in his 93 Tests at an average of 34.03 and was more effective when operating as a pace bowler. His best performance was 6/73 and, although he achieved five wickets in an innings six times, he never took ten in a match. His success continued in the next two series at home to India in 1961–62 and away to England in 1963. He was elected
Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1964,
1965–1974: West Indies captaincy Sobers enjoyed immediate success as West Indies captain when his team defeated Australia by 179 runs in the First Test at Sabina Park. West Indies went on to win the series 2–1 and so claim the new
Frank Worrell Trophy. This was the first time West Indies had beaten Australia in a Test series. Sobers enjoyed spectacular success in England in 1966 and was widely acclaimed as "King Cricket". In the five Tests he scored 722 runs at an average of 103.14 with three centuries, and had 20 wickets at 27.25, as well as taking 10 catches. West Indies won the series 3–1, with one match drawn. His status was celebrated at that time by the
Trinidadian calypso artist
Mighty Sparrow, with his song "Sir Garfield Sobers". In 1966–67, Sobers captained the West Indies team to India in 1966–67 and they won the series 2–0 with one match drawn. He lost a series for the first time in 1967–68 when West Indies were surprisingly beaten at home by England. Four matches were drawn and England won the Fourth Test at
Queen's Park Oval following a controversial declaration by Sobers which enabled England to score the necessary 215–3 to win at just four runs an over. and then drew a three-Test series in New Zealand 1–1. In 1969, West Indies lost 2–0 in England with one match drawn. Sobers captained West Indies for the five-Test home series versus India in 1970–71. India won the series 1–0 with four matches drawn. A year later, Sobers led West Indies in five home Tests against New Zealand and all five were drawn. Sobers was succeeded as West Indies captain by Rohan Kanhai for the 1972–73 home series against Australia. Sobers did not play in that series but returned to play under Kanhai in England in 1973. He played his last Test in March 1974 at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, against England.
Rest of the World XI When
South Africa were banned from international cricket because of the country's
apartheid policy, South Africa's two lucrative tours to England in 1970 and to Australia in 1971–72 were cancelled. The cricket authorities responded by forming a Rest of the World team to play two unofficial Test series instead, and these teams included some leading South African players. Sobers was invited to captain the
Rest of the World XI in England and a
World XI in Australia. In 1970, captaining the
Rest of the World XI against England, he took 6/21 on the opening day of the First unofficial Test at Lord's with pace bowling, the ball swinging and seaming at high speed. He then scored "a magnificent" 183 and helped bowl out England in the second innings using his left arm wrist spin. In the Fourth Test at
Headingley, Sobers scored 114 and 59 as his team won by two wickets.
Australian captain
Ian Chappell also rates the innings as the best innings he ever saw. He reached his century in 129 balls and after a rest day, reached 254 in 326 balls. It was "one of the most magnificent innings seen on the Melbourne Cricket Ground" and his "superb display of forceful cricket" lasted 376 minutes and included two sixes and 33 fours. Sobers wrote in his autobiography that these two "unofficial" series should be given full "Test" status due to the quality of the players involved. ==League cricket in England==