KINGSTON, Jamaica—State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Senator Abka Fitz-Henley has hailed Barbados national hero and cricket icon Sir Garfield Sobers as an important figure to the regional identity of the Caribbean.

Sobers passed away on Friday at the age of 89 at his home in Highgate Gardens, 11 days shy of his 90th birthday.

Fitz-Henley in a statement on Friday, said Sobers is worthy of high commendation for his colossal contribution to Caribbean identity and his magnificent exploits on the cricket field.