Herschelle Gibbs by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:

HH Gibbs

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DateLine: 7th May 2009

 

Herschelle Gibbs's brush with a career death in the Cronje match-fixing scandal added to the impression of a man who had failed to grasp the magnitude of his impact on the nation's youth. At the crease Gibbs can be invincible as there is no shot beyond his compass. The speed of his hands, frequently allowing him to hook off the front foot and keep out surprise lifters are something to behold. In the field - at backward point - he is the next Jonty Rhodes. Arguably his most famous innings came in a record-breaking one-day contest against Australia at Johannesburg when South Africa chased down an improbable 434 in 49.5 overs. Gibbs' contribution was a 111-ball 175 to power the hosts to a 3-2 series win in perhaps the greatest match of all. A lean trot continued into late November 2006, but Gibbs showed glimpses of a return to form with a match-winning unbeaten 93 in a series clincher against India at home. Gibbs was banned for two Tests by the ICC after being was charged under Level 3.3 of the ICC's Code of Conduct for making abusive comments about a section of the crowd during the Test series against Pakistan in early 2007. On March 16, 2007, during a World Cup game against Netherlands, Gibbs smashed himself into the record books. His six sixes off Dan van Bunge's fourth over was a record for international matches and he managed 342 runs, with four half-centuries, in the tournament.