Carlton E. Davis, Contributor

The incomparable Garfield Sobers. - File

I WAS one of those privileged to be present at Sabina Park on March 1, 1958, when Barbadian and West Indian batsman Garfield Sobers erased the Test batting record of 364 runs set in 1938 by Yorkshire and England opening batsman Len Hutton.

My circumstance at the time did not permit me to watch the event from the more 'salubrious' environments of the Kingston Cricket Club members' pavilion or the Southwest stand which was where many public servants gathered when Test or other first-class matches were being played.

I should say, in passing, that I was reliably informed that public servants could get time off to watch Test matches provided doing so "did not interfere with the exigencies of the service"; which it apparently rarely, if ever, did.

Rather, I watched play from the unprepossessing Southeast stand which was separated from the Southwest stand, if my memory serves me correct, by a none-too-sturdy press box.

In regard to the day itself, I vividly remember six things.

One, was that I had to stand through the entire proceedings. The words: "standing room only" were most apt.

Two, was the fact that as Sobers moved remorselessly to the record, all the fielders were posted on the boundary; the aim, it was evident, was to slow down his pace of scoring and perhaps frustrate him so that he would give his wicket away.

Boundaries

Three, was the methodical way he went about the business; so much so that for a batsman who didn't mind one bit lofting the ball for sixes, he confined himself to scoring all his boundaries as fours (38 in all).

Four, was the way Clyde Walcott, (one of the famous 'three Ws') helped Sobers in his pursuit by curbing his own attacking play and giving the left-hander as much of the strike as possible. He could not however resist hitting three magnificent sixes over the northern stands.

Fifth, was the run which broke the record.

Sixth, was the pandemonium which broke loose "when the deed was done" and which resulted in play being suspended for the rest of the day as it was judged that the wicket was damaged. The suspension of play was no doubt welcomed by the Pakistanis who badly needed the rest and may have held the view that it might have given them hope that they could have got out of the Test with a draw; but, in the event, the West Indies won the match by an innings and 174 runs.

Overall, I remember that a sense of euphoria swept the society in which I moved as one of 'our' own batting stars (Jamaicans have by-and-large been very supportive of the West Indies as a team even if no Jamaican is on it) had done something magnificent in a game which in those days, was by far and away the No. 1 in the country.

As aficionados of the game know, the record was to last for an amazing 36 years until it was broken by another brilliant West Indian left-handed batsman, Brian Lara, in 1994.

Limited overs

Much has changed in cricket over the past 50 years. Among other things, the 50-over variety and 20-over 'slugfest' have become more frequent to fit: (a) the need for money to pay the costs of players etc; (b) the constraints of time for a much more 'busy' society; and (c) the 'instant gratification ethos' which is part and parcel of modern societies. I watch these variations of the game, but I must confess that they, especially the latter, are not my particular 'cup of tea'.

Much too has changed in West Indies' cricket especially over the past 13 years, where we have hardly been competitive (previous West Indies have had losing streaks but they were competitive with opposing teams) with the performances being largely displays of "pathos" or more appropriately 'bathos'; a situation which makes the memories such as I have just described shine all the more brightly.