Garry Sobers as a metaphor for West Indies cricket

Garfield Sobers’ 80th birthday is being celebrated in Barbados on Thursday. Several former players, West Indian and others—including Sunil Gavaskar—are expected to attend.

The occasion will undoubtedly be one of great joy, but it will also be heavy with nostalgia—and some melancholy, I presume. Willy-nilly, the current state of cricket in the Caribbean will be discussed, and it will not make for pleasant conversation.

In the first Test in Antigua, which ended on Sunday, India beat the West Indies by an innings and 92 runs. And it was not just the margin of defeat, but the manner in which the home team surrendered, that would have disappointed their supporters.

There was little sparkle and no great sense of purpose. This is not to take away from India’s superb effort. But the substandard quality of the home team can hardly be disputed.

For Sobers, the capitulation in the first Test would have been even more painful. For he has been witness to the slump in West Indies cricket that started more than two decades ago, and continues. A far cry indeed from his playing days.

[80 not out: Garfield Sobers. Photo: Hemant Padalkar/Hindustan Times ]
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I am using Sobers as a metaphor to provide perspective to the decline of the West Indies, for he represents the epitome of Caribbean cricketing excellence, which captured the imagination of fans all over the world.

This was extraordinary talent meshing with intrinsic athleticism, flair and an instinctive sense of joy on the field. The West Indies became the most loved and most feared side.

At an individual level, the Caribbean expression of cricket reached its pinnacle in Sobers, a true-blue genius with his multifarious, all-round ability. Many believe him to be the greatest cricketer ever. I have no doubt he is.

Before and under Sobers, the West Indies played with a beguiling amateur spirit, where results were deemed less important than fair play and fun. This was transformed into hard-boiled, ruthless ambition by the teams under Clive Lloyd and Vivian Richards, which decimated opponents everywhere, and with astonishing frequency.