Quota Gibbs happy out of spotlight

LONDON, JUNE 8: Herschelle Gibbs returned to the South African cricket side at the end of last year in a blaze of unwanted publicity.At t...

LONDON, JUNE 8: Herschelle Gibbs returned to the South African cricket side at the end of last year in a blaze of unwanted publicity.

At the World Cup, in contrast, disappointingly unsuccessful, he has been all but anonymous, looking good without scoring. Gibbs, publicly, would declare himself frustrated. Secretly, however, there must be a 10 per cent of him delighted that at least he is no longer the focus of attention.

When the 25-year-old from Cape Town returned to the green and gold of Hansie Cronje8217;s side in December, he was headline news, with many suggesting the colour that really mattered was that of Gibbs8217; skin.

His selection, they said, was an thinly-disguised capitulation to angry politicians demanding the selection of non-whites. Perhaps they were right. Gibbs was short on form, his previous appearances for South Africa had been unconvincing and there were doubts about his temperament.

He was seen as a Cape coloured8217;, a quota cricketer8217;, a sporting sop. Today, as he prepares for the Super Six clash with New Zealand on Thursday at Edgbaston, he is seen as Herschelle Gibbs, opening batsman, top-class fielder.

8220;If people want to see me as an affirmative action selection, then there is not much I can do about it,8221; he had said in December. 8220;But it will make me a lot more determined to prove that I can compete at this level.8221;

Soon, he had made his maiden one-day century, against the West Indies at Port Elizabeth. Then came the real breakthrough, when he made 211 not out at Christchurch 8212; more than 100 of those came in boundaries, via 23 fours and three sixes 8212; and 120 at Wellington in successive Tests against New Zealand.

Story continues below this ad

Before that double hundred, he had averaged less than 18 after seven Tests.

Today at the World Cup, South Africa8217;s top order has been malfunctioning so badly that the team has relied on its all-rounders, Lance Klusener in particular, to dig it out of crater after crater.

The opening partnership has been a worry but it is Gary Kirsten8217;s form which is attracting most attention.

Gibbs has made one score, a fine 60 versus England which included 42 in boundaries, while failing to get into double figures in four of his six starts.

Story continues below this ad

But Kirsten, his senior partner, had done even worse. And Gibbs has made up in part with fielding so exceptional that he and Jonty Rhodes are often difficult to tell apart.

Rhodes himself says: 8220;When the press come out and say Herschelle Gibbs is a political selection, we all know better.8221;

Gibbs, the privately-educated son of a sports journalist and who was expected to play rugby union at the top level before opting for cricket, would surely agree with South Africa8217;s Sports Minister Steve Tschwete that positive discrimination has some role to play, post-apartheid.

It8217;s just that Gibbs would prefer somebody else carry that banner. He would rather carry his bat, with a World Cup hundred to his name.