by Nelson Lewis - Bahrain

Feb 12: Players of cricket at all levels and aficionados all across the cricketing world would endlessly debate who is the game’s greatest fast bowler, fast-medium bowler, off-spin bowler, leg-spin bowler and wicket-keeper.  There would be no agreement or general consensus in deciding who the best players to fill up these slots are.  However, all would agree that Sir Don Bradman is the best batsman and Colin Bland and Jonty Rhodes are the best fielders the game has produced.

Further, there would also be a disagreement in deciding who is more important to the team.  Is it a master batsman, a strike bowler or an agile wicket-keeper with safe hands?  However, in international cricket, one cannot discount the importance of a genuine all rounder, because he could be useful with the bat, ball and in saving runs with some superlative fielding.  If he is an all rounder primarily known for his bowling and if he does not do well with the ball, then he could make contributions with the bat or save substantial runs by fielding well.  Similarly, if he happens to be an all rounder known for his batting and if he fails with the bat, then he could make contributions with his bowling by taking vital wickets or wickets at vital moments and by saving precious runs by athletic fielding.

There have been some brilliant all rounders in the world, namely Sir Richard Hadlee (bowling average: 22.29), Imran Khan (bowling average: 22.81), Keith Miller (bowling average: 22.97), Ian Botham (bowling average: 28.40), Trevor Bailey (bowling average: 29.21) and Kapil Dev (bowling average: 29.64).  Some consider Wasim Akram to be an all rounder.  However, he is not a genuine all rounder because he had a batting average of just 22.64, though one has to concede that he is one of the best all-time great left hand fast bowlers in the game in both test and one-day cricket.

However, most well-informed and knowledgeable cricket enthusiasts would agree that the greatest all rounder in the game is Sir Garfield St. Auburn Sobers who was born on 28th July 1936 with six fingers on each hand.  The extra sixth finger was surgically removed from both hands immediately after birth. 

Sir Sobers is a tall, athletic man and even in his old age, has a graceful gait.  Besides cricket, he played golf, soccer and basket ball for Barbados in his prime, which proves that he was a sportsman par excellence.  Even these days, he continues to play golf.

Sir Sobers first came into international limelight when he played for West Indies in 1953 primarily as a bowler. In 1958 he scored an uproar by scoring 365 runs against the visiting Pakistani team at Kingston and remained unbeaten - a record that was only broken by Brian Lara in 1994 (375 runs) and in 2004 (400 runs not out) and Mathew Hayden in 2003 (380 runs).  He was a cricketer who could bat at any position and play in any situations and when the chips were down, he could single-handedly change the complexion of the game and also snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.  He could open the bowling attack or come in as a change bowler.  As a captain, he led his team by personal examples.

Sir Sobers is the only cricketer in the history of the game would could be called the most complete cricketer, because he was a batsman who could open the innings or bat at any position, a bowler who could bowl left arm fast-medium, slow left arm orthodox, slow left arm china man and field close-in or even in the deep.  Sir Sobers is an amazing cricketer that the game has produced.

During his career, Sobers played 93 tests and 160 innings, remaining not out 21 times, scoring 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78, which is a stupendous average for an all rounder.  He had 26 hundreds and 30 fifties.  As a bowler he had 235 test wickets at an average of 34.03.

Sobers was generally an attacking batsman who dominated any type of bowling.  Bowlers feared and dreaded him and he sent shivers up their spines.  However, in crisis situations he could play dogged innings to stall for time and ensure an honourable draw for his team.  In 1968, Sir Sobers, while captaining Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan at Swansea, clobbered Malcolm Nash for six sixes in an over off six consecutive balls to become the first batsman in first class cricket to achieve this feat.