Herschelle Gibbs Documentary
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Debuted in in 96 then you were in and out of in and out of the test side it
00:04took around 15 test matches for you to get your your first hundred that was
00:08against New Zealand in Christchurch in the second in the second test match I
00:13mean that must have been a relief for you yeah especially having been in and
00:18out and not quite being able to cement a place in those like over two years or
00:23two to three years having made my debut and it was a big big obstacle that I
00:30needed to overcome and having someone like Gary Kirsten alongside me who'd
00:34been a season campaigner then obviously just made it a bit more easier and just
00:40going back to how myself and Gary used to prepare you know going into a test
00:44match you know it was it was preparation with the highest intensity so that we
00:49knew for every test match for every innings that we were gonna be ready I
00:54remember batting you know we batted for I don't know two days it was I think
01:01interrupted by quite a lot of rain but I remember being very tight myself and
01:05Gary were always always talking about being tight initially you know leaving
01:09ball on length leaving well outside the off stump and that's exactly exactly
01:13what happened in that particular test match my left well you know my shot
01:17selection was really good and I was basically in the bubble and you know
01:22there wasn't really much that distracted me I was just very glued in and you know
01:29I managed to get I get to a hundred a lot of relief because as a batsman as
01:33you'd know that until you actually get your first international hundred you
01:37always doubt your ability and your confidence is not always the same but
01:40when you get to that particular stage or overcome that obstacle things do
01:45generally become slightly easier as you go on but I just remember being in the
01:50bubble and batting the entire innings and also putting on 300 runs with
01:57Jarkelis who ended up getting 150 not out. Herschel came along as a as a
02:02youngster Western Province showing prodigious talent and the standout
02:08shot for me was his ability to hit a back foot drive bigger than ODIs and
02:14I think had some good success along the way. Importantly for me is we became good
02:19friends and we might be very different people in many ways in terms of how we
02:24see life but I think we became good friends and we found a good connection
02:29in that space I got to know him really well as a human being you know and just
02:34to understand what made him tick you know and I try to use that understanding
02:39of him on the field as much as possible to get the best out of his performances
02:43and I think equally he knew what to say to me as well in terms of being able to
02:48manage me and manage my performances. I always find Herschel a very generous
02:52person and he would always give of his time. Third test match, Wellington you go
02:58and get another hundred so now was this was this the the realization that you
03:03belong in test cricket or was it more sort of just you know the normal
03:08pressure on me? I don't know man it happens when you get to some sort of form don't you
03:12you know everything's happens a little bit more slower you know you see the
03:16ball better you you play the ball a bit later you know your shot selection is as
03:21good as it can be and that's what the form is always about you know you know
03:25you keep things simple you know you don't overthink things but yeah I mean
03:29like I said that particular that particular series the second hundred I
03:33got there was a bit more free-flowing at Wellington and also another good deck
03:37and you know I just I wouldn't say it was a obstacle that or allowed me to
03:44think well I I belonged in international stage it's just it just happened you
03:49know and I started maybe enjoying myself and freeing the nerves a little bit.
03:53Hersch you thought super six stage play against Australia they having a terrible
03:59World Cup South Africa are playing brilliant cricket you go and get a
04:02hundred how did that feel was did you feel here it is we are gonna knock
04:06Australia out of this tournament? Not too sure I mean I never got ahead of
04:13myself as far as you know the outcomes of games are concerned I mean we were
04:16just we had a fantastic squad you know everybody gelled really well the late
04:22Bob Woolmer was a fantastic coach you know we prepared well we had a great
04:25team we were enjoying our cricket you know everybody knew their specific roles
04:28there was a lot of experience in this squad and we had for me you know how
04:35probably our best one-day squad we've had over the last 15-20 years but be
04:39that as it may that particular game yes getting a hundred on the biggest stage
04:45for me you know the World Cup was something I always dreamt of still
04:50eluded me that the World Cup winners medal but be that as it may it was the
04:53only medal I really wanted having got a hundred yeah I mean it was nice it was
04:58great yeah I mean I'm not too sure H I think that I don't know I mean it was
05:06just maybe a little bit of overconfidence of you know just thinking
05:09I was gonna catch anything that came my way you know if you look at it in slow
05:16motion you could see it actually going into my hands and as I'm about to throw
05:21it up in the air the New Year test match is always a special test match for for
05:26Capetonians and those that that play in it and Newlands 2003 you played here
05:30against Pakistan you got hundreds of this ground before but a double hundred
05:35it made it a bit more special and to share a 300 run opening stand with with
05:42Graham Smith just was a cherry on top and one of my favorite innings it's just
05:49a fantastic wicket you know against I think a solid bowling Pakistan bowling
05:55lineup and it was a I think that particular that first day of that
06:00particular test match was a treat because we almost scored it at five runs
06:04there over for the entire day so it was something that hopefully the home
06:08supporters here you know really embraced and and won't forget and it was just
06:14privileged to be part of when Gary Kirsten retired many South Africans
06:18thought well now what our opening partnership our reliable opening
06:21partnership has been destroyed along came this nuggety six-foot left-hander
06:27and suddenly there was a more successful opening partnership what made the two of
06:31you what made it a good one I mean I'd seen him basically grow up I mean he's
06:35I think about 10 years younger than I did and I saw he's capable you know you
06:39wanted you know he's well to succeed I saw that from a very early age and you
06:44know the way he played his cricket his preparation you know you always wanted
06:49to lead by example I think he was very negative yes he was limited as far as
06:53he's the amount of strokes he could play but what he had you know he had a big
06:57heart and that's always you know you always he's hot on his sleeve and in his
07:03preparation I maybe helped him through his initial you know period as far as
07:07being an opener was concerned and it was lovely to see him develop as a player
07:12and to develop as a man and then to become the captain that he was for South
07:16Africa in 2003 you thought you'd give the world a wonderful hundred at the
07:20Wanderers against New Zealand 143 nearly a hundred runs scored in in boundaries
07:24do you do you remember that World Cup and how well you were playing and
07:28obviously the disappointment because of how well you were playing but how poorly
07:31the team played yeah I remember it well because I'd actually been in some I mean
07:36I've been hitting it quite nicely when it came to pushing on to the one day
07:40series or the one day game you know you could play with a bit more freedom so I
07:45remember before that particular game at the Wanderers against New Zealand Eric
07:49Simons the coach then said to me you'd like to see me get a scratchy 50 because
07:54he just felt that I was you know I was hitting it well I was quite confident
07:58you know you wanted me to work hard you know carry on working hard for my runs
08:02and I I got a scratchy 50 and you know got through that initial period and you
08:13know I mean at the Wanderers you get value for your shots there also a really
08:18good deck and a full house at the Wanderers and going to a hundred I was
08:25very not too sure I mean it was you know that the team gelled nicely you know it
08:32was something that's a stage that I always look for you know always wanted
08:35to bring up you know the best in me and you know I mean you can only speak as a
08:39team as as part of the squad you can only speak on your own individual
08:43performances but it was disappointing but as you know it's that sort of it
08:50happens with South Africa in in World Cups in 2003 was no different
08:55well that side in 2003 you guys made particularly good friends with mr.
09:00Duckworth and and Lewis a complete control of that match and it was just as
09:03if so the controversy was following South African one-day cricket and World
09:08Cups yeah it was unfortunate it was against Sri Lanka I think and in Durban
09:14and I'd know that I've got some runs in that particular game too and if I'm not
09:22mistaken I think Nicky Boyer was actually on the way onto the field to
09:28give I think Mark Boucher and I'm not sure else who was batting with him at
09:31the time and I give him to say well we only we needed another run I think that
09:36was just to be ahead of Duckworth Lewis at that particular moment in the game
09:41and I think if you managed you walked onto the field and I think one of the
09:46umpires you know said look you can't come onto the field and that ended up
09:52costing us you know the particular game so it was very disappointing it's not
09:57like we weren't aware of the score that we needed to be at that particular point
10:00in time in the game just forgot to add one yeah and and yeah obviously that was
10:07us but let's get into that that test series against England contrasting knocks
10:14you played first test match took you 40 minutes to get off the mark but you
10:17ended up going and getting a hundred at Edgbaston final test match at the Oval
10:22you get a hundred I remember him arresting me for the I think it was a
10:28game against Derbyshire you know last warm-up game before or the friendly game
10:35against against Derbyshire before we playing England in the last test and he
10:41left me out of that game and then a couple of days he said in order to
10:45prepare for you to get a hundred what I need to do I said you've done it to
10:49Eddie you know you gave me just but a time off you just didn't mentally be
10:54fresh for that the last innings in it in the fifth test match I don't if I
11:01scored too quickly you know I had a knack of wanting to push on as soon as
11:07I got in and I remember even celebrating a hundred in that test match and Gary
11:12Kirsten my partner at the time said you know your works not done your jobs not
11:18done here you need to be at the end of the day and it obviously didn't turn out
11:23that way but I was always wanted to keep on playing irrespective of the
11:28situation yes your job as a batsman most most the time is to play the situation
11:33but I was in such good form and seeing it so well that I just wanted to keep on
11:38carrying you know keep on with the momentum that I'd had you know
11:41throughout the day there I mean and you know the Oval is a fantastic wicket for
11:45me is the best wicket in England conditions and I actually remember
11:51batting with that is what I remember just think that was his last I think
11:55his last test match that he played but it's never happened to me on the you
11:59know that the wicket keepers calling the shots even before the balls even
12:03arriving so I were very enjoyable innings
12:21five in that game hundred eleven balls 21 fours seven sixes what a game it was
12:27you feel Australia post four three four the Wanderers remains full which is
12:34amazing because I thought it would empty it at that point what was the discussion
12:37in the dressing room before you have to now go and stride out to bat look I
12:41think there were a few few words flown around or said you know before even
12:47Australia got to 400 so maybe six seven overs before the turnaround I remember
12:54myself and Bouchy having a quick word with each other saying well we may be
12:57chasing I said we're gonna be chasing 380 390 and Bouchy actually said to me
13:01no we're gonna be chasing more than 400 it turned out to be 400 and having you
13:06know watched some of the clips of the game sorry batting at number three
13:11with unfortunately lost put a dip in our early on and he to this day says
13:17he's the man of the match because it allowed me to obviously to come in come
13:20in early and you know look I think it was such a fantastic game you know
13:26having just watched Gillian and Ponting you know play unbelievable cricket that
13:32you know as far as Australia was concerned we knew the conditions was
13:38really good you know that altitude in Johannesburg obviously the ball flies
13:42there and the wicket just now stayed exactly the same for the entire game you
13:46know the slower balls wasn't holding you know there wasn't any turn and we needed
13:54some momentum up front you know obviously chasing you know 434 and then
13:58Graham Smith played a fantastic innings of getting 90 or 50 odd balls 52 balls
14:03I think or 51 balls it's just unfortunate that he got out you know
14:07it would have been nice for him to carry on going and I was going and that gave
14:11us the momentum and you know I knew that once he got out I actually just
14:17continue with the momentum and we knew from the outset that we needed to go
14:21over like nine runs to over and we knew that we we needed a boundary every over
14:26you know those are the facts that that were there we needed to to stand any
14:31chance of chasing or getting close to this ball we knew that we had
14:35to get a boundary every over and that is the mindset that we had luckily the
14:39conditions for us was that good that you know if he wasn't any boundary of the
14:46first five overs five balls of the over that we needed to get a boundary of the
14:51sixth over and not sure why it was my day because there's obviously no secret
14:56the events leading up to the game the night before but did it as he may it was
15:01just a fantastic day of cricket for the players that were involved you know for
15:08me looking back irrespective of what the outcome was was gonna be luckily for us
15:12this time it was you know we came on the right side it was just a fantastic
15:16spectacle of cricket and a fantastic spectacle for 50 over cricket
15:22Mark Boucher's innings as well to guide the troops home basically and even
15:28Makaia's single of Brett Lee taking him running the ball down off stump down the
15:34third man of Brett Lee was just an unbelievable single for me it was a
15:39single of the game you know because it allowed Mark obviously to get back on
15:42strike but like I said I mean everybody that witnessed that game it was there
15:49live you know witness something really special and to be part of it all just
15:54you know was a cherry on top. I just need to fill in the blanks there a little bit
15:58Mickey Arthur writes in his book that he very nearly didn't play you in that
16:02game because of a slight indiscretion we're not going to go into because it
16:07was only a slight indiscretion but maybe that will be Mickey Arthur's pinnacle
16:10Nakovic encouraged me sometimes to go about my preparation in only the
16:17manner that I can actually prepare for a big game whereas I have one or two
16:23liquid refreshments well in this in this particular instance it's a glass or two
16:28of the liquid grapes and just to go into the the big game a little bit more you
16:34know relaxed and you know stress-free and I did that by all means at the
16:42team dinner the night before Polly's last game and yeah as it turned out you
16:49know I got a hundred I got a hundred at the Wanderers the next day also a very
16:55enjoyable you know game I got out with about seven runs I think left to score
17:01and for Polly to end up hitting the winning runs I thought was a
17:05fantastic way for him to bow out you know not only with a series win but also
17:09for him to hit the winning runs in his last game. Did you have a feeling and I
17:14know it's a difficult question because you got a hundred in this in this match
17:16but did you have a feeling that you were you were nearing nearing the end was the
17:20dressing room giving off those vibes or not really? Not for me really I remember
17:29it was probably my most emotional knock I remember being on 98 and hitting the
17:37ball down to deep mid-wicket you know to get to the hundred and having run the
17:43first one and on the way back for the second I'd you know completely broke
17:46down in tears and it was a very emotional year 2008-2009 I just got
17:52divorced and all that emotion you know it just came out all at once and I
17:59remember I just couldn't hold back the tears I mean I cried for almost a minute
18:02after going to a hundred and yeah I mean I still wanted a huge aspiration still
18:09to play in the 2011 World Cup the following game at the World Cup was so
18:13great I mean I could never see the end coming all I wanted to do was just you
18:18know to try and win a World Cup for South Africa. It would be wrong for me
18:22not to to talk about it and not to ask you about it but you got yourself into a
18:27to a spot of bother when playing under Hansi Kroenier and the match