BARBADOS — Garfield Sobers died at the age of 89 in Barbados on July 17. Cricket West Indies announced the death on Friday without providing a cause.

Kishore Shallow, president of Cricket West Indies, issued a statement reflecting on Sobers' life and career. "In the story of cricket, there are great players. There are champions. Then, there are those rare individuals who redefine the very meaning of greatness," Shallow said.

"Sir Garfield Sobers was the greatest cricketer the world has ever seen. His mastery of batting, bowling and fielding was unparalleled, but his true significance reached far beyond the boundary ropes."

"He became more than a sporting icon. He became a symbol of Caribbean excellence, resilience, and possibility," Shallow said. "His achievements brought pride to Barbados, inspiration to the West Indies and admiration from every corner of the cricketing world. Sobers has completed his final innings, but his legacy will forever endure in the hearts of our region, and the story of the cricketing world."

Sobers was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, on July 28, 1936, one of seven children. His father, a merchant seaman, died at sea when Sobers was five years old. His mother, Thelma, raised six children after his father's death. Sobers was born with an extra finger on each hand, which were removed during childhood.

Before devoting himself entirely to cricket, Sobers played golf, football, and basketball for Barbados. He made his first-class debut at age 16 against Indian tourists at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. In that debut match, he took four wickets in the first innings and three in the second.

Fourteen months later, he made his Test debut at age 17 against England in Jamaica in early 1954, capturing four wickets. He initially played international cricket as a left-arm slow bowler.

Sobers reached his first Test century in his 29th Test innings against Pakistan in Kingston in February 1958. In that innings, he scored 365 not out, breaking Len Hutton's world record of 364 and becoming the youngest triple-centurion. He shared a second-wicket stand of 446 with Conrad Hunte, who was run out for 260.

The West Indies declared on March 1, 1958. Sobers' score of 365 not out remained the world record Test score for 36 years before Brian Lara surpassed it.

Sobers was present when Lara broke the record against England in Antigua in April 1994, and recalled the pressure Lara faced. "There was a lot of pressure on him, people telling him not to break the record, to preserve it for the legend," Sobers said. "So I spoke to him in the dressing room during his innings and said, 'Go out and do it, man.'"

In 1968, Sobers became the first player to hit six sixes in one over in a first-class game, playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan at Swansea. He hit the six sixes off spinner Malcolm Nash but was caught on the fifth delivery when the fielder fell back over the boundary. "Wherever I go in any part of the world, everybody mentions the six sixes," Sobers told the BBC. "You know, it seems as though it's the only thing I've ever done in cricket."

Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies from 1954 to 1974, retiring at age 38. He finished his Test career with 8,032 runs, 235 wickets, and 109 catches. He hit 26 Test centuries and had a Test batting average of 57.78.

He was the first player to reach 8,000 runs in Test cricket. After scoring 365 not out, he hit five further centuries in his next five Tests.

Sobers captained the West Indies 39 times, a record at the time, succeeding Frank Worrell in 1965. In 1966, he led the West Indies to a 3-1 series win against England, contributing 722 runs, three centuries, and 20 wickets in the series. Wisden rated him as one of the five best cricketers of the 20th century alongside Don Bradman, Jack Hobbs, Viv Richards, and Shane Warne.

Queen Elizabeth II knighted Sobers in 1975 for services to cricket. In 2009, he was one of the initial inductees into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame.

Sobers also played county cricket and league cricket abroad. He played for Radcliffe in the Central Lancashire League between 1958 and 1962 and for Norton in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League from 1964 to 1967. He played for South Australia from 1961 to 1964 and for Nottinghamshire from 1968 to 1974.

In 1972, he scored 254 for a Rest of the World team against Australia. He toured England for the first time in 1957, scoring an unbeaten 219 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Sobers played only one one-day international and was dismissed for 0. In 1955, he hit the first three balls he received from Keith Miller for four in the fourth Test against Australia.

During a period playing for Radcliffe, Sobers was involved in a car accident in Staffordshire. His teammate Collie Smith died from spinal injuries sustained in the accident. Sobers was found guilty of careless driving and fined.

In a 2002 interview with The Guardian, Sobers reflected on his lifestyle off the field. "Well, it's an exaggeration to say I was partying every night. Just every other," he said.

"The night before a Test match, I'd always be out and about all night. Sometimes, I didn't sleep at all before a big game."

Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott praised Sobers, saying he "was like a panther with a purposeful, loping and confident walk." "I just loved the way Garry walked out to bat," Boycott wrote in The Telegraph. He didn’t say anything. He did not need to.

There was no ego. His walk let the opposition know he was there for business.

The England Cricket Board paid tribute to Sobers on social media, calling him one of the greatest to ever play the game and adding, "Forever in our hearts, Sir Garfield Sobers." The Board of Control for Cricket in India called him a true icon of the game and one of cricket's greatest-ever all-rounders and noted, "His extraordinary achievements, lasting influence on Caribbean cricket and immeasurable contribution to the global game have left an enduring legacy that will continue to inspire generations."

"Well, I suppose cricket is a game which you have to be born into to understand the difference and the excitement of it," Sobers said in a 2013 Cricinfo readers interview. "I don’t think cricket is a game that people who have never played or been involved in understand the excitement."