A grateful nation paused in solemn remembrance on Wednesday as National Hero the Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers was laid to rest at the Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens with full military honours, surrounded by family, regional leaders, and icons of world cricket.

​A strict security apparatus was visible across the area, with surrounding streets entirely cordoned off from the Coral Ridge roundabout to the cemetery. Police took up strategic positions along the parade route, standing at rigid attention to maintain a formal guard of honour as the funeral cortege arrived.

Just after 1p.m., the polished gun carriage in Barbados Defence Force green edged towards the burial ground. The steady, solemn beat of the drums from the Massed Band of Police Service and Defence Force echoed across the area, signalling a stately send-off for the man from Bayland who cemented himself as an undisputed legend in global cricket.