When Bob Simpson's Australia arrived in the Caribbean in early 1965, Garfield Sobers led West Indies into a Test for the first time as full-time captain. He inherited the job from the retired Frank Worrell and within five Tests had won the Frank Worrell Trophy 2-1 on home soil — the first time West Indies had ever held it.
Sobers had been a Test cricketer since 1954 and had captained Worrell-led XIs in tour matches. He was 28 years old and had already scored 365* against Pakistan in 1958 and made 7,000 Test runs.
Sobers had been Worrell's vice-captain on the 1963 tour of England. When Worrell retired immediately afterwards, Sobers was the obvious successor — the world's outstanding all-rounder, a Barbadian, and 28 years old. The West Indies Cricket Board's confirmation of him in late 1964 was uncontroversial and was greeted across the Caribbean as the natural continuation of the Worrell era.
Sobers's first series in charge was the home contest against Bob Simpson's Australia. The first Test at Sabina Park began on 3 March 1965. Sobers won the toss, batted, and made 35 in West Indies' first innings of 239. Charlie Griffith took six wickets in Australia's reply of 217. Sobers then made 30 in the second innings; West Indies set Australia 252 and bowled them out for 216 to win by 35 runs.
The series settled into a 2-1 win for West Indies, with Sobers contributing centuries at Bridgetown and Port of Spain and his bowling repeatedly breaking partnerships. The Frank Worrell Trophy, which had been with Australia since the 1960-61 series, returned to the Caribbean for the first time. The Kingston crowd carried Sobers off the field after the deciding Test.
As captain Sobers was less methodical than Worrell. He led from instinct, set unconventional fields, declared aggressively, sometimes too soon. He would lose some series — most notoriously the 1968 home series to England under Cowdrey, when his early-evening declaration at Port of Spain handed England the Test and the series. But by the standards of the day his record was excellent. Across 39 Tests as captain he won 9 and lost 10, with most of the losses concentrated in his last two seasons.
Late 1964: Sobers confirmed as full-time captain.
3 Mar 1965: First Test as captain begins at Sabina Park.
8 Mar 1965: West Indies win first Test by 179 runs.
May 1965: Series won 2-1; Frank Worrell Trophy returns to West Indies.
1968: Sobers's early Port of Spain declaration loses Test and series to Cowdrey's England.
1963
Worrell retires; Sobers succeeds as vice-captain.
Late 1964
Sobers confirmed as full-time West Indies captain.
Mar 1965
First Test as captain at Sabina Park; West Indies win.
May 1965
Series won 2-1; Worrell Trophy returns to Caribbean.
1972
Sobers gives up the captaincy after losing form.
“Frank set the example. I just tried to play the way he had taught us.”
Sobers held the captaincy until 1972, when Rohan Kanhai succeeded him. His 39 Tests as captain produced 9 wins, 10 losses and 20 draws. His most notable triumph was the 1965 series; his most controversial moment the 1968 declaration.
Sobers's accession to the captaincy in 1965 sealed the Worrell project. By winning the Frank Worrell Trophy in his first home series he gave the Caribbean tangible evidence that the change in 1960 had not been a one-off. The instinctive style he brought to the job became part of the West Indies' identity for the next two decades.
Sobers as captain has been judged variously. His batting and bowling were never in doubt; his tactics divided commentators then and divide them now. What is not disputed is that he inherited a captaincy that had been a political flashpoint and made it a cricketing role; the colour bar that had haunted Worrell's appointment never returned.
Yorkshire v Essex
1932-06-16
On 15-16 June 1932 Herbert Sutcliffe (313) and Percy Holmes (224*) put on 555 for the first wicket against Essex at Leyton, breaking the world first-class record for any wicket and adding a layer of folklore — including a scoreboard that read 554 for several minutes and a hastily reversed declaration — that has clung to the partnership ever since.
Australia v England
1933-02-14
With the fate of the Bodyline series in the balance and England 216 for 6 chasing 340, Eddie Paynter checked himself out of a Brisbane hospital where he was being treated for acute tonsillitis, taxied to the Gabba in pyjamas and a dressing gown, and batted for nearly four hours to score 83. England drew level on first innings, won the Test by six wickets and the series 4-1.
Australia
1934-09-25
Days after the 1934 Oval Test, Bradman fell seriously ill with appendicitis that progressed to peritonitis. With antibiotics not yet available, he was given little chance of survival; his wife Jessie left Adelaide on a sea voyage to England prepared for the worst. He recovered after weeks of intensive nursing in a London nursing home and returned to first-class cricket the following Australian summer.