Playing against Pakistan in 1958, Gary Sobers scored perhaps the greatest maiden century in the history of the game. An astonishing 365, by a 21 year-old left arm spinner. "There was a lot of talk before that I hadn't scored a hundred," said Sobers. However, people many people had forgotten that when I started my career, I started as a bowler and that I batted at number nine. Therefore, it was very difficult for one to score hundreds. "It was only in 1955 against Australia that I got a chance to open the innings. That was only because Jeffery Stollmyer was injured, and I was kind of a sacrifice, because they weren't going to risk the three Ws. "That innings was a milestone. What I remember is that after I got the hundred, I decided to bat on; I was so happy ...the first Test hundred in anybody's career is one that they will always remember. "Then I remember when I was on 300 runs, Clyde Walcott saying to me, 'You only need 64 more runs.' I just thought, to get 64 runs with 300 runs is not going to be easy, unless I do something. So I thought I better forget the 300 and think I 've only got 64 more runs to get." Sobers again created history in 1968 by becoming the first batsman to hit six 6s in First Class Cricket. This he accomplished against Glamorgan, the unfortunate English bowler was Malcolm Nash. "That wasn't predicted, it just happened. We needed to get the runs quickly. I was only going to bat for a short time and get the runs as quickly as possible. ...It was only when I hit five, that I realised that the opportunity was there; and after getting that close, well one would obviously start thinking about it." One of Sir Gary's fondest memories is the second Test against England at Lord's in 1966. The WI were in the precarious first innings position 95/5, when young David Holford, playing in his second Test, joined his cousin Sobers at the wicket. Together they carried the WI into the next day, and declared at 369/5. Sobers was undefeated on 163, and Holford had scored what would be his only Test century, 105 not out. "That I've always looked upon as probably one of my best innings, from the point of view that it was country vs. country." Turning the game around at the point of defeat, on English soil, "at Lords of all places," with Holford playing his second Test, and then to place England "in some sort of trouble with a declaration made it a most memorable innings," he said. He believes that some of the truly great batsmen of his time were Rohan Kanhai, Ian Chappel, Ted Dexter, Ken Barrington, and Bobby Simpson. Dennis Lillie, Fred Trueman and Wes Hall were amongst others were the great fast bowlers. Subhash Guptee, and Indian legspin bowler who a lot of people don't seem to know about was the best I ever played against. England's Jim Laker and Gibbsy (Lance Gibbs) were certainly two of the best offspin bowlers."                               TT spin bowlers and their "false impressions" On the topic of spin bowlers in the region, Sir Gary believed that TT spinners had a "false impression of their abilities. "Trinidadian spinners never really produced the goods outside Trinidad & Tobago, because their wickets at home turned so square, and they didn't have to work to get the ball to spin," he said. "When they played outside of Trinidad, they found life more difficult because they weren't getting the same kind of response from the wicket. "What made Lance Gibbs a great bowler was that effort needed to spin the ball on Guyanese wickets."  Sir Gary added: "Spinners from Trinidad not having the background that Gibbs had, didn't know how to handle the situation, and so were not as impressive."

Sir Gary Sobers reflects on a brilliant career

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By Veersen Bhoolai (March 1993)

since April 2004