Sir Garfield Sobers: Cricket legend remembered for all-around brilliance and impact on South Australia

Sir Garfield St Aubrun "Garry" Sobers, widely regarded as cricket's greatest all-rounder, is being remembered following his recent death at age 89. Sobers's remarkable career included 8,032 runs and 235 wickets in 93 Test matches for the West Indies. His talent was so profound that he was recruited by South Australia at age 25 in 1961 to play in their Sheffield Shield side.

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I don't say this lightly, he's the greatest cricketer, in my opinion, the game has ever seen.

Ken "KG" Cunningham, a teammate of Sobers in South Australia, lauded his all-around abilities, stating, "He opened the bowling, he bowled first change and bowled left arm orthodox, he was second change with left arm [wrist spin], he'd field like a demon and then he could bat. He was five cricketers in one."

Sobers's arrival in South Australia was influenced by the 1960/61 West Indian tour and potentially by cricket legend Don Bradman, with whom Sobers had a good relationship. Sportswriter Michael Sexton noted that Bradman played a role in securing Sobers's services, and the cricketer even dined at Bradman's home in Adelaide.

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He opened the bowling, he bowled first change and bowled left arm orthodox, he was second change with left arm [wrist spin], he'd field like a demon and then he could bat. He was five cricketers in one.

Sexton's book, "Three Summers of Sobers," details the cricketer's time in South Australia, culminating in a Sheffield Shield victory. The book also touches on Sobers's off-field life, describing him as someone who enjoyed nightlife and gambling. Notably, South Australian administrators had to navigate the "White Australia Policy" to include Sobers in the squad, highlighting a significant irony given his status as a top cricketer.

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The lure of Bradman was just so important, they got on very well. He used to go and have dinner at Bradman's house in Adelaide.