Gibbs to retire?

[aussie1st]

Johannesburg ? South Africa may soon be without their 438 batting hero. Sport24 has heard from reliable sources that Herschelle Gibbs is planning to end a Proteas career that has spanned 13 years.

The 35-year-old Capetonian was recently omitted from South Africa?s one-day side after also being axed from the Test team nearly two years ago.

Gibbs played the last of his 90 Tests in January last year, but represented the Proteas in the Champions Trophy tournament as recently as September.

He was axed from the one-day side in October and his replacement, Alviro Petersen, has scored plenty of runs in the series against England.

?It has nothing to do with the fact that he has been omitted for the umpteenth time,? someone close to Gibbs told Sport24.

?While there are still a few options to consider, he feels that he has had enough after such a long career.?

Gibbs apparently already considered quitting last year, but ultimately decided to continue fighting for his Proteas spot.

?The reality is that he should already have retired last year as he wanted to finish his career on a high in order to safeguard his legacy.?

Gibbs is still likely to be available to play in the Indian Premier League and for the Cape Cobras.

Sport - Error

One of those players that never truely reached his potential but showed glimpses of it here and there.

 

[drainpipe32]

“The reality is that he should already have retired last year as he wanted to finish his career on a high in order to safeguard his legacy.”

That's a bit harsh isn't it?

As Syl said, he could so easily have been one of the great players. So much talent there, it just didn't come out enough.

Showed his potential but not often enough. His 175 at the Wanderers, 90 against the West Indies in the 2007 T20 World Cup opener and also Test series against NZ in 1999, India in 2001, England in 2003 plus three hundreds in three games against the West Indies in 2003/04. When at his best one of the best, but it just didn't happen enough.

But hasn't scored a test hundred in 4 years and 37 games, so it's time to go.

 

[aussie1st]

That's just the usual journalist thing. It wouldn't matter when he retired, he will always be remembered as a player that had enormous potential which he never filled.

 

[drainpipe32]

Incredible how good his best was.

 

[mdoggie]

I guess it is time for him to go, I doubt he could make it back into the team. He was a glorious player to watch and sometimes a bowlers nightmare but as everyone else has said, he did not show his best often enough.

 

[Iridium]

If he does decide to retire, it wouldn't exactly be huge loss for South Africa. They've managed to do without him in the past, and they will continue to do so. That said, he's such an exciting player when he gets going.

Although I have to agree that he never really fulfilled his potential, he's done very well in the international arena. Hopefully all this retirement talk is untrue, as I would like to see him play for South Africa again.

 

[Biggy]

Would be a big loss, always loved watching him play for the Saffers.

 

[stefan]

another Player who wasted his talent. Gibbs could have and should have been so much more but lacked the application needed.

Even if this isn't true he won't get back into the main side any time soon, lots of talented younger batsmen coming through in the domestic scene.

 

[sami ullah khan]

He was one of the most destructive batmen of his time. I hope he does well out of cricket.

 

[rahuldravidfan]

I hope he makes another sensational comeback and proves ppl wrong