Herschelle Gibbs Profile

Herschelle Gibbs

Herschelle Gibbs, who once owned up, with perverse pride, to never having read a book, has essayed enough incendiary innings to fill a fat volume and, in the field, cut down many a batsman with all the electric grace of an enraged poet. Though he might not bother with many more words than yes, no, wait, and mine, Gibbs inspires superlatives from those who marvel at his appetite for the spectacular. Ordinary he is not.

Gibbs has played some of the most outrageous strokes yet seen. How many other batsmen practice, seriously, cutting fast bowlers for six? Or drive throat balls down the ground? Or make pulling off the front foot look everyday? That goes for whether he is batting in the middle of the order or at the top, and whether the ball is old or new. Gibbs has put all that together so many times that he can't be accused of being some charlatan who deals in fluke and luck.

He did so in the grandest of manner at the Wanderers in 2006 to score 175 off 111 balls and help South Africa clinch a one-day series against Australia. The battleground scenes of this extraordinary match, that delivered totals of 434 for four and 438 for nine, swirled all about. But Gibbs batted with the glee of a teenager armed with his father's credit card in a strip club. Pressure? That's what other people feel.

When South Africans wondered who would replace Jonty Rhodes as a fielder of the most predatory type, Gibbs answered the call. 

However, not all of the superlatives attached to him are positive, for when too much talent trips over itself, demons often also lurk. Alas, so it is with Gibbs. He is perhaps as gifted as any sportsman can be. He is also as poorly equipped for the trials of daily life as any human being can safely be. Dark tales of marijuana smoking, drunk driving and match-fixing have blotted his career. Gibbs is about as close as cricket has come to producing a punk rocker, a figure who veers too close to self-destruction too often for the likes of those who prefer their cricketers unblemished by the real world.

They can rest assured, because Gibbs' time at the top is nearing its end. A first-class career that began when he was just 16 is now into its 20th summer. As his 40s loom, he may even pick up a book or two.

Full name Herschelle Herman Gibbs

Born February 23, 1974, Green Point, Cape Town, Cape Province 

Current age 36 years 275 days

Major teams South Africa, Cape Cobras, Deccan Chargers, Glamorgan, Western Province, Yorkshire

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm bowler

Batting and fielding averages

 
    Mat     Inns     NO     Runs     HS     Ave     BF     SR     100     50     4s     6s     Ct     St
Tests     90     154     7     6167     228     41.95     12270     50.26     14     26     887     47     94     0
ODIs     248     240     16     8094     175     36.13     9721     83.26     21     37     930     128     108     0
T20Is     23     23     1     400     90*     18.18     318     125.78     0     3     45     12     8     0
First-class     193     331     13     13425     228     42.21             31     60             176     0
List A     387     369     32     11937     175     35.42             27     62             171     0
Twenty20     100     98     9     2380     101*     26.74     1889     125.99     1     16     235     80     54     0

Bowling averages

 
    Mat     Inns     Balls     Runs     Wkts     BBI     BBM     Ave     Econ     SR     4w     5w     10
Tests     90     1     6     4     0     -     -     -     4.00     -     0     0     0
ODIs     248     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -
T20Is     23     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -
First-class     193         138     78     3     2/14         26.00     3.39     46.0         0     0
List A     387         66     57     2     1/16     1/16     28.50     5.18     33.0     0     0     0
Twenty20     100     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -     -

Career statistics

 
Test debut     India v South Africa at Kolkata, Nov 27-Dec 1, 1996 

Last Test     South Africa v West Indies at Durban, Jan 10-12, 2008

ODI debut     Kenya v South Africa at Nairobi (Gym), Oct 3, 1996 

Last ODI     India v South Africa at Ahmedabad, Feb 27, 2010 

T20I debut     South Africa v New Zealand at Johannesburg, Oct 21, 2005 

Last T20I     Pakistan v South Africa at Gros Islet, May 10, 2010 

First-class debut     1990/91
Last First-class     Northamptonshire v Glamorgan at Northampton, Aug 26-29, 2009 

List A debut     1990/91
Last List A    Cape Cobras v Dolphins at Paarl, Nov 14, 2010
Twenty20 debut     Western Province Boland v Dolphins at Cape Town, Apr 7, 2004
Last Twenty20     Derbyshire v Yorkshire at Derby, Jul 18, 2010