As thousands rose to their feet inside a hushed Kensington Oval, applause echoed around the ground that had witnessed so many of his greatest triumphs.

For one final time, Barbados saluted The Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, not as the world’s greatest cricketer, but as its beloved and own “Sir Garry”.

It was a deeply emotional climax to yesterday’s state funeral, where Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley led a grateful nation in paying tribute to the National Hero whose extraordinary talent, humility and character transformed him into a symbol of Barbadian excellence.