As South Africa gear ဣup to take on England in a crucial match on Saturday that will decide the semifinal spots in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, one of the 🤪country's modern-day stars Herschelle Gibbs has high hopes from the team.
Gibbs is c꧃onfident that the Temba Bavuma's team will discarꦐd the weight of the old baggage and once again win the title that it first bagged in 1998 when the event was called the ICC Knockout Trophy.
The 50-year-old is happy with how the South Africa team has shaped up in the ongoing Champions Trophy. However, he thinks there is still some scope for the team to do things differently and more impactfully as it tr🌜ies to win🌠 an ICC event after a long gap.
We won the first one in 1998. We haven’t really come close since then but I think our middle-order batting power has made a big difference over the last couple of years, and, for me, it is how the coach uses players like (Heinrich) Klassen, (David) Miller, (and Ryan) Rickleton.
For me, it's more about being predictable. He needs to come up with different criteria or theories with regard to using these guys. I think it's time for a bit different mindset, and being more proactive. Not being so predictable..
However, Gibbs is confident, the 🌸current side caඣn go all the way.
No reason why we can’t win. Our bowling is second to none, got all the basic skills covered. If the surface helps the spinners we’ve got the spinners, if it helps the quicks we’ve got the quicks. So most importantly for me it's how the coach uses the skillset that he has on offer in a more unpredictable manner..
The right-handed flamboyant batter has been a master🍨 hitter in his playing days. Be it as an opener or middle-order batter, Gibbs earned prominence and his game was always about strokeplay,♓ playing shots that left the very best in awe, especially his six-hitting ability.
A very difficult question for me to answer! A lot of players even in my time were blessed with timing in regards to six-hitting. It wasn’t always about power, strength, or surface but it was always about timing. Like I said there were a couple of players who were a lot stronger than I was playing.
I think with regards to six-hitting these days the guys are obviously playing or practicing a lot more on wickets that are very good and the ball comes on quite nicely. They play with confidence and self-belief and irrespective of a fielder on the boundary they will still back themselves to hit the six. But I think, the mindset of today’s players is that it (six-hitting) has to be included in today’s cricketer. They don’t mind if there’s a player on the boundary they will still back themselves 99.9 percent to clear the boundary.
Asked for his opinion on Bavuma as captain, who is quite 🦋underrated, Gibbs backed the Proteas 𒅌skipper’s leadership.
Look I think Temba has done quite well, in his stint as ODI captain. He has got the resources to work with. It’s a matter of what you do with your resources - I think he’s done OK with regards to that. He has given the confidence and self-belief to players to execute the skill at the appropriate time and that’s what you want with regards to a captain. He's got to get some credit with regards to that, deserves quite a few of it.
On whether India playing all its matches in one venue in D♉ubai was an unfair advantage as suggested by some, Gibbs rubbished the viewpoint asking opponents to accept and move on.
I think it’s a debate that will go on for quite a long time. Mike Atherton discussed it, and Nasser Hussain discussed this whole issue. I think the best way to overcome it with respect to the opposition is to accept it and deal with it rather than discuss it. That’s going to happen - whether or not the right or wrong decision is being made they are playing there so you come up with a winning recipe. Whether you are a coach or captain you have to get your team to combat that..
I have seen those comments but is what it is. The less said about is better. Everybody knew that they would be playing in Dubai, just accept it and play the game. Just get on with it..
On what he thought of Virat Kohli’s century against Pakistan, Gibbs said, “His fitness levels are fantastic and I hope he plays for another four years and he can. It was nice to see Virat (Kohli). He is my favouriဣte player. India is definitely the favourite (to win the title).”
In Delhi, as a mentor for the upcoming Indian Corpor♔at꧃e T20 Bash (ICBT20) alongside the likes of Sri Lankan Tilakratne Dilshan, India's Wasim Jaffer, and Kiwi Jesse Ryder, Gibbs said he was “very excited".
It’s the best concept I have been able to relate to with regards to a T20 Bash over the last 10 years. It's very different.
Gibbs was asked the perennial question about South Africa's poor record in ICC events. He said ICC tournaments always got the best out of him though it꧋ was not the case with s🌃ome of his teammates.
For me, it was always the tournaments that got the best out of me. It was not always the case with some of our players feeling the pressure and that is what it is. It is the fear of failure and I have seen many times and this is what happened at the T2o World Cup. It was the same thing. You need cool heads and it will always be the issue until we end up winning one. While we have not won a big tournament since 1998, that is all it comes down to. We have the talent they need calmer heads in pressure situations. We need to find guys from domestic cricket who actually like the pressure and we actually don’t have that with us..
On the burning 😼question of whether the 50-over format was struggling to surviuve and its future, Gibbs agreed to the same.
I think it is. I think the bilateral series can be a little more one-sided, and stagnant. I think the tri-series could be the way forward. It looks from the batting perspective tওhe amount of T20 cricket that is played should be implemented in 50-over cricket too.
It will make it more interesting. The guys who have faced 140 balls, once you do that you can start pla♏ying T20. I think it is for the coaches to send the message out in the middle t𓆉hat is what you should implement and that can make a huge difference.
