Whenu00a0Sir Garry Sobers lost his close friend and fellow West Indies player Collie Smith (age 26) in a 1959 car accident, he became a reckless character, say historians.

So his captain Sir Frank Worrell took him aside and reminded him that since he had drunk enough for both himself and the deceased teammate it was time to play good cricket for himself and Smith. Worrell's words of wisdom had an emphatic effect on the great all-rounder, who started performing his heroics never to look back.

Jesse Ryder celebrates after scoring a century during the first day of the second Test match at McLean Park in Napier last week. PIC/AFP