Garry Sobers: 365 not out and cricket’s most complete all-rounder

Batting, fast bowling, two kinds of spin and brilliant fielding: if one player could be asked to do everything well in cricket, it would be Garry Sobers of Barbados. In 93 Tests he scored 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78, with 26 centuries, and also took 235 wickets¹. According to ESPNcricinfo, no one is surprised to hear him called the greatest all-rounder in history². According to the ICC as well, he is generally regarded as the game’s greatest all-rounder³.

Early life and start in cricket

Garfield St Aubrun Sobers was born on 28 July 1936 in St Michael, Barbados. He batted left-handed. He could also bowl fast-medium, orthodox left-arm spin and wrist spin, all with his left hand. He began first-class cricket at just 16 and was in the Test side a year later².

In his first Test, against England in Kingston on 30 March 1954, he came in at number nine and scored 14 not out and 26. He also took 4 wickets for 75 runs in that match¹. According to the ICC, he was initially picked for his bowling, but soon moved up the batting order³.

1958: 365 not out

The Test against Pakistan began in Kingston on 26 February 1958. Sobers, 21, came in at number three. He batted for 614 minutes and remained not out on 365, with 38 fours. It was then the highest individual score in Test cricket²³. Notably, it was his first Test century; his previous best was 80. In the next Test of the same series, in Georgetown, he scored centuries in both innings, 125 and 109 not out¹.

The runs kept coming. On the 1958-59 tour of India he scored 142 not out at the Brabourne Stadium, 198 in Kanpur and 106 not out at Eden Gardens. On the tour of Pakistan he played an innings of 72 in Lahore. In the 1959-60 home series against England he made 226 in Bridgetown, 147 in Kingston and 145 in Georgetown¹.

Tied Test, captaincy and England in 1966

The Test against Australia that began in Brisbane on 9 December 1960 ended in a tie. Sobers scored 132 in 174 minutes in that match. On the same tour he made 168 in Sydney¹.

From 1965 to 1972 he captained West Indies in 39 Tests. As captain he scored 3,528 runs at an average of 58.8 and took 117 wickets. The 1966 tour of England was the high point of his captaincy: 161 in Manchester, 163 not out at Lord’s, 94 in Nottingham and 174 in Leeds. In the same Leeds Test he also took 5 wickets for 41¹. According to ESPNcricinfo, he was a bold captain, at times too bold; England won a decisive match after a generous declaration by him in Port of Spain².

His best bowling figures came in Brisbane in December 1968, when he took 6 wickets for 73 against Australia. In Leeds in July 1969 he took 5 wickets for just 42 runs in 40 overs. With the bat, his 178 not out against India in Bridgetown in 1971 and 150 not out against England at Lord’s in 1973 are memorable innings¹. According to ESPNcricinfo, Sobers is one of only three visiting players whose names appear on both the batting and bowling honours boards in the visitors’ dressing room at Lord’s⁴.

Six sixes in an over

Besides Test cricket, Sobers played for the English county Nottinghamshire and for South Australia in Australia. According to the ICC, in a first-class match in 1968 he hit six sixes off the six balls of an over bowled by Malcolm Nash. He was the first player to do so in first-class cricket³. According to ESPNcricinfo, Don Bradman also praised his innings of 254 for the Rest of the World against Australia in 1971².

His last Test began against England in Port of Spain on 30 March 1974. He scored 0 and 20 and took three wickets¹.

Statistics

Source: ESPNcricinfo Statsguru¹. The figures are for his international career.

Legacy

According to ESPNcricinfo, his batting average does not tell how he made his runs. His style was elegant yet powerful, he had every shot, and his off-side play was especially memorable. According to the same profile, he would have made the West Indies side as a bowler alone. His close catching may have been equalled, but no one bettered it².

In 1975 he was knighted for services to cricket². In 2009 the ICC inducted him into the Cricket Hall of Fame³. He died on 17 July 2026 at the age of 89. His death was announced by Cricket West Indies⁵. The record of 365 that he set against Pakistan at 21 remained the brightest symbol of his extraordinary career.