OTD| South Africa’s star batter Herschelle Gibbs was born in 1974

There are a few players who are remembered not for their records but for their impact. Former South Africa player Herschelle Gibbs is one such player. Gibbs is synonymous with flair and an aggressive style of batting. Today marks a special day for him as he is celebrating his 50th birthday today. 

The explosive South Africa top-order batter made his debut in international cricket in 1996. He broke into the ODI cricket in October, 1996, when he played his maiden One-Day international match against Kenya at Nairobi. Around a couple of months later he also played his first Test match against India on an away tour. The talented youngster did not look back from there. As he matured in his career, his role in the team got more crucial and he cemented his place in the side. In 2005 he made his T20 debut against New Zealand at Johannesburg. T20 cricket was a very natural format of the game for him because he used to play in a similar style in other formats as well. 

The Destructor

Herschelle Gibbs played in an era when South Africa would be one of the deadliest oppositions to play against. Gibbs himself played an instrumental role in making his team more formidable. As an opener, his job was to lay a solid foundation and he would do that in a destructive fashion. He believed in taking on the opposition bowlers right from the word go.

Gibbs played 90 Test matches for the Proteas scoring 6167 runs at an average of 41.95. In ODI cricket he played 248 matches where he scored 8094 runs. The South African opener had a long career for the Proteas and he left his mark on South African cricket. The South African fans would remember him for the way he played this game and gave ultimate joy to the ones watching this game.

Also read: England’s fast bowler Devon Malcolm was born