The difference between a good player and a great player is that a great player
never stops believing until he achieves his dreams, goals and desires. One such
great player is Herschelle Gibbs.
After having donned the limelight in the record chase of 400
plus runs against Australia last year with a masterful innings of 175
runs, Gibbs has again made news in the cricketing world.
He slammed six sixes off Dan van Bunge's fourth over
in South Africa's opening match against the Netherland in the
World Cup. The effort once against showed that this man has the ability
to send shivers down the spines of his opposition in the shorter version of
the game.
Gibbs became the first man to achieve the feat in a limited
overs match, and only the third in history in all forms of cricket.
He charged down the track to the first delivery and smashed
it over long on for a six. The second delivery was on middle stump and Gibbs
hit a towering six over long-off.
The third delivery was flatter but Gibbs did not changed his
mind and pulled it over long off. The fourth was a low full toss and Gibbs played
a slog over deep midwicket.
The fifth delivery was short and on teasing off stump line
but Gibbs smashed it over wide long off. Gibbs knew he has written history when
he hammered the last delivery over deep midwicket for a six.
The first man to hit six sixes off an over in a first-class
match was West Indian legend Sir Garry Sobers, playing for Nottinghamshire
against Glamorgan at Swansea in 1968 with Malcolm Nash taking the punishment.
Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri then equalled
the feat playing for Bombay (now Mumbai) against Baroda in 1984.
The critics have always opined that Herschelle Gibbs has a
inborn talent when it comes onto moving his feet. Gibbs loves playing mind games
and his one-liners and verbal jousting continues to hamper his opposition.
Earlier in his career, Gibbs was in news for all the wrong
reasons, and critics claimed that his infamous deeds will dull the conception
what promised to be a glittering cricketing career.
His admission that he smoked marijuana, along with four other
members of the squad came on the heels of his match-fixing suspension in 1999-2000.
He revealed that he had agreed to accept money to play badly
in a one-day international against India when quizzed during the Hansie Cronje
match-fixing scandal.
He had to undergo suspension after the Cronje match-fixing
scandal and skipped several tours to India in a bid to stay at large from the
CBI, but he has shown tremendous mental strength by standing against all odds.
Gibbs believes in explosive entertainment. The speed of his
hands is hypnotic, frequently allowing him to hook off the front foot and keep
out surprise lifters. This World Cup might see him outshine other stars in the
South African team as he emerges as a genuine match-winner among the Proteas.
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