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.

“Sir Garry was an important figure to our regional identity in the Caribbean. He excelled on the world stage at a time when the vestiges of colonialism and the unfortunate superiority complex associated with the scourge were pervasive. Sir Garry showed the world that the West Indies is capable of global dominance and that we are a dignified people who belong in the global corridors of power,” Fitz-Henley told Parliament.

Fitz-Henley hailed Sir Garfield as being widely recognised as the greatest cricket all-rounder of all time.

“The name Sir Garfield Sobers will go down in history as one of great significance to the psyche of Caribbean people, both in the region and in the diaspora. He made generations feel emboldened to walk with their heads held high all across the world. The loss of Sir Garry is a tremendous one. I lived in Barbados for approximately two years and know how much he meant to our brothers and sisters there. I extend my deepest condolences to the lovely people of Barbados on the occasion of this tremendous loss,” Fitz-Henley said.