Garfield Sobers: The Greatest All-Rounder and Six Sixes in an Over
Sir Garfield Sobers — the greatest all-rounder in cricket history — hit six consecutive sixes in a single over against Glamorgan in 1968, a feat that changed cricket.
Sir Garfield Sobers
Sir Garfield Sobers of Barbados and West Indies is widely regarded as the greatest cricket all-rounder who has ever played the game. He averaged 57.78 with the bat in Tests (6th highest ever), took 235 wickets with three different bowling styles (left-arm pace, orthodox spin, and unorthodox wrist spin), and was one of the finest slip fielders of his generation. No other cricketer has dominated with bat, three distinct bowling methods, and fielding simultaneously.
Six Sixes in an Over, 1968
On 31 August 1968, playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan at St Helen's Ground, Swansea, Sobers hit six consecutive sixes off the bowling of Malcolm Nash — the first time any batsman had ever hit six sixes in a single over in first-class cricket. The feat was achieved in the County Championship and broadcast on BBC Wales television — making it one of the first moments of cricketing brilliance captured live on television. Gary Sobers hit the ball out of the ground on the sixth delivery to complete the record.
Six Sixes: The Over
Malcolm Nash bowled a six-ball over. Sobers hit the first five deliveries for six. The sixth delivery — after Nash changed his approach — was swept over square leg and out of the ground. Six balls, six sixes. A record that stood until Herschelle Gibbs repeated it against the Netherlands in a World Cup match in 2007.
World Record Test Score
In 1958, Sobers set the then-world record for the highest individual Test score — 365* against Pakistan in Kingston, Jamaica. The record stood for 36 years until Brian Lara broke it with 375* in 1994. At 21 years and 216 days, Sobers was the youngest player to hold the Test record at the time.
Frequently asked questions
Who hit six sixes in an over first?
Sir Garfield Sobers hit the first six sixes in a single over in first-class cricket, off Malcolm Nash's bowling for Nottinghamshire vs Glamorgan at Swansea in 1968.
Why is Garfield Sobers considered the greatest all-rounder?
Sobers batted at the highest level (averaging 57.78), bowled in three distinct styles (pace, orthodox spin, wrist spin), and was an outstanding fielder — no other cricketer has dominated all three departments of the game across the same career.