South Africa’s cricketers achieved the impossible on March 12 this year by chasing down an Australian score of 435 — the highest score chased to date in one-day international cricket history — to win an astounding match by one run and clinch the series 3-2.
Herschelle Gibbs contributed 175 — his highest score in one-day cricket. He speaks to the Mail & Guardian Online about his enormous contribution to the match, his secret on the field and why he hasn’t ever read a book in his life.
1. Your brilliant innings in South Africa’s thrilling victory over Australia this month contributed to the highest one-day international score to date. How do you do it?
I guess I think Sunday [the match day] was a special day. Whatever myself and Graeme [Smith] tried that day obviously just worked. It was a special day and I don’t know if you are going to see that sort of cricket played again for a long time. It was just lovely to be a part of it, and to make such a big contribution was a bonus.
2. Where to from now? Does it get any better than this for you?
[Laughs.] Contemplating the Test series against Australia, that’s our next goal. But it [South Africa’s victory at the Wanderers] was a fitting end to the one-day series. I’m not too sure how one-day cricket is going to be played in the future. So it was definitely a bit of a — I wouldn’t say a wake-up call, [but] it was a hell of a game of cricket. I’m sure there’s going be a lot of other countries trying to emulate exactly what we did on Sunday.
Your innings was quite impressive. Does it get any better for yourself?
Look, I think that it is one of my best innings that I have played. For me to play a better innings than that, I think it would take a while. But you never know with the game of cricket. Anything can happen and hopefully something like that happens even better and happens even sooner.
3. What’s your secret on the field? Do you subscribe to any set of personal rules when you play?
I’ve always been a very instinctive person. I’ve done a lot of things on the spur of the moment. You always think about the game and how you’d like to play it, but when I am to actually go on to the field, I do everything by instinct. I took my natural instincts to go on, on Sunday, and that was it.
4. Do you think that South Africa has fair-weather cricket supporters who only come to the party after a victory like Sundays?
No, look, I think that we must thank each and everybody there that stayed at the ground on Sunday. It was a fitting way to end the game. It was nice to see that nobody left at lunch time and everybody especially wanted to see what would happen. I think every one of those people that stayed at the ground witnessed something very special.
Sometimes supporters can be like the wind. When South Africa does pretty badly in the cricket, they tend to hate South Africa for that day, or that week —
I understand that and obviously they all feel always disappointed and down when we lose. And we feel it too, you know. Yes, we’d love to always keep them pleased, but that can’t always be the case. But as I said, it’s beautiful that they stayed there [on Sunday] and we just want to thank them again for staying right through till the end.
5. How much longer do you see yourself playing the game?
Well, my body is feeling good and my mind is still fresh. I’d like to think that I’ve got another four or five years left in me, obviously judging on how the body feels.
Do you want to retire in the next five years?
I don’t really. I’ll play cricket for as long as I can. I’m enjoying it and the body feels good. The mind is still fresh. Nah, I don’t think that I — I wouldn’t like to make assumptions. But going on the way my body feels, I reckon I can squeeze in another five years at least.
6. Approximately 10 years ago, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis and you came on the scene together. Is there another school of exciting talent coming through right now? Who is, in your opinion, the most talented young cricketer in South Africa today?
I would have to say that AB de Villiers and JP Duminy are probably two of the most exciting players I’ve seen in the last few years. And someone like Loots Bosman is also a dangerous player. He’s also very talented.
7. Who can hit the ball the furthest in the current South African team?
Oh, I think without a doubt Justin Kemp. Without a doubt. I think he definitely hits the longest ball. I think if you had to ask that question to anybody else in the team, they would all say the same thing. Justin Kemp definitely hits the ball the furthest in the team, there’s no doubt.
8. Do you find Shayne Warne irritating?
Not at all! I think he is a world-class competitor and a great bowler. So, I don’t find him irritating at all. He’s a really good sportsman and he can act really well too.
He can act really well?
Whenever he bowls, he’s always talking to you and doing one or two sort of different actions. He [would] build the whole moment up, which is really nice for the spectator.
9. So you say you’ve never really read a book in your life. Why?
I started a book. I read about 80 or 90 pages and I got bored of it and then I never tried it again after that. But I read plenty of magazines and that sort of thing. Don’t read anything else.
You’ve never finished reading a book?
No. I get really bored quite quickly.
Don’t you think it sets a bad example to millions of kids in South Africa who idolise you?
No. Well, they read books at school. I mean — it’s not going to make them become better sportsmen. I’m not sure, you know it depends on what they want to achieve after school.
10. You’ve been in trouble in the past. Do you pin it down to bad press or bad person?
No, it’s why I’m still here. If they [sportsmen] get caught misbehaving, then so be it. It doesn’t make me a horrible person or a bad example. There’s many a sportsman who misbehaves and turns out to be a world beater. It’s just a matter of learning your lesson once and then carrying on.
If you only had two options, bad press or bad person, which one would you choose?
Well, look, the media can jumble up quite a lot of things. [The] media will always be the media — whether it’s true or not, you know. But you can always become a better person.