Party till 4 in the morning, reached Lord’s on foot with kit-bag, played innings of 150 runs with ‘hang-over’

New Delhi. On Sunday, the Long Room of Lord’s in London was filled with former cricket greats from all over the world and on everyone’s lips was the name of a man whose records made the cricketers of every decade wink and forced them to say that a better cricketer than him has never come and may never come. We are talking about the person whom Bradman had also declared as all-time great, named Gary Sobers, whose task was to establish his dominance in all three departments of the game.

Sir Garfield (Gary) Sobers is that magical magician in the history of cricket, in front of whom even the records seem dwarf. The world of cricket has seen many great batsmen and bowlers, but a ‘match winner’ and a dashing player like Sobers is born once in a century. As aggressive as his style of playing was, his lifestyle outside the field was equally carefree and colourful. One of his innings played against England at the historic ground of Lord’s in 1973 has become a part of cricket folklore. This is the story of Sir Gary Sobers who parties all night, suffers from stomach ache in the morning, and then goes on the field and scores a century which astonishes the world.

Party all night, stay up till 4 am

This incident is from the West Indies tour of England in 1973. During the Lord’s Test, after the end of the fourth day of the match, Gary Sobers went out with his friends to enjoy the nightlife of London. Sobers was known for his outspoken lifestyle. That night he drank heavily, gathered with friends and it was 4 o’clock in the morning. When he returned to his hotel room, he had barely two-three hours left to sleep. When Sobers woke up in the morning, he was having severe stomach pain due to the heavy hangover and carelessness of the night. His condition was so bad that he was not in a position to sit in the official bus with other players of the team. The team bus left, but Sobers did not give up. Struggling with stomach pain, he decided to walk from the hotel to Lord’s Ground to get some fresh air and wake up his body. Holding the kit bag in his hand, this West Indies captain reached the field on foot, groaning in pain.

Changed gear as soon as we entered the field

When Sobers reached the dressing room, the condition of West Indies was very critical. The team had lost its top wickets cheaply and was in danger of defeat. Sobers quickly wore his white jersey and entered the field. England’s bowlers were on fire with the intention of getting him out. When Sobers reached the crease, his stomach was still cramping, but as soon as he faced the first ball, the pain disappeared and only his class remained.

Forgotten the pain and scored a historic century

Gary Sobers rained brilliant shots all around the field. He thrashed the lethal bowlers of England. In no time he scored an unbeaten century innings of 150 runs. He not only got his team out of trouble but also made the match a safe situation and made it a draw. This inning was not just a proof of runs, but of his indomitable courage, amazing mental strength and his natural talent for cricket. This story of Gary Sobers seems like a fantasy in today’s professional and strictly disciplined cricket era. Sobers proved that greatness comes not just from strict rules, but from extraordinary skills hidden within you and the courage to persevere in the face of adversity. After partying till 4 in the morning, walking to Lord’s while suffering from stomach ache and scoring a century was only possible for Gary Sobers, that is why he is still considered the greatest all-rounder in the history of cricket.