New Delhi, July 18 -- Cricket lost one of its tallest icons on Friday with the death of Sir Garfield Sobers, the peerless West Indian whose breathtaking all-round brilliance made him one of the greatest players the game has ever known. He was 89, and his death leaves a legacy that transcends generations.

The death of the former West Indies captain was confirmed by his son Daniel. Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, in 1936, Sobers was exactly 11 days shy of completing his 90th birthday. Widely regarded as the game's greatest all-rounder, Sobers played 93 Tests and scored 8,032 runs at 57.78 with 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries between March 1954 to April 1974.

A left-handed batter, who also could also bowl left-arm pace, wrist spin and ort...