Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
March 20 (AP)
Garfield Sobers feels the notoriety he gained for hitting six sixes in an
over may have overshadowed his other achievements and hopes that does not
happen to Herschelle Gibbs.
At a ceremony on Monday to celebrate Gibbs becoming the first to achieve the
feat in an international match, Sobers jokingly suggested it was almost a
curse when he became the first to do it a 1968 first-class match.
“I hope that Herschelle doesn’t suffer the way that I have suffered over
the years, because where ever I have gone people have recognized me as the
man that hit six sixes,” the West Indies great allrounder said. “I have
always wondered if that was the only thing I had done in cricket. I thought
I had done a little bit more than just hit six sixes.
Sobers said Gibbs’ was a greater achievement.
“He has created history – his were at the World Cup – his are in a
different category than mine,” Sobers said. “Herschelle Gibbs has put St.
Kitts’ Warner Park on the map.”
Gibbs’ perfect over came in Friday’s Group A match against the Netherlands
and triggered the payment of $US1 million from sponsor Johnnie Walker to
Habitat for Humanity housing projects.
Sobers and Gibbs were also joined at the presentation by St. Kitts and Nevis
Prime Minister Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, South Africa coach Mickey Arthur and
Habitat for Humanity representative Kenny Attai.
“To be here with Sir Garfield Sobers, the man who did the feat the first
time and who is a true legend of the game, is an honor,” Gibbs said. “To
hear that 500 people or so are going to benefit from this gives me a subtle
touch, to know that people are going to be smiling.”
But it was Sobers, widely recognized along with Sir Donald Bradman among the
great cricketers of all time, who was the focus of attention from the
international media assembled.
He happily recounted the time he hit six sixes off Glamorgan’s left-arm
swing bowler, Malcolm Nash, while playing for Nottinghamshire at Swansea.
“Mr. Nash seemed to enjoy it almost as much as I did,” he said. “Malcolm
was walking across the ground and he was smiling. I said to Malcolm, ‘Why
are you smiling?’ He looked back at me and said, ‘I want you to know that
you couldn’t have done it without me.’ This is quite true.”
Asked if he’d spoken to legspinner Daan van Bunge since hitting him for six
sixes, Gibbs said that he had.
“I said to him that I owed him a beer,” Gibbs said. “He replied that I
owed him six beers.”