Herschelle Gibbs on the lifestyle of a freelance Twenty20 star
Last updated on .From the section Cricket
Herschelle Gibbs has been called many names in his time.
He is a dashing opening batsman with an eye for a big score, or a Hansie Cronje crony who "dropped a World Cup". It depends on your perspective.
But at this stage of his career, as a man in his late thirties who hasn't played for his country since 2010, it seems very clear why he still wields a bat in anger.
"Cricketers are all entertainers," the 38-year-old tells BBC Sport. "Especially limited-overs, where you've got to try and put on a show."
Gibbs is a dynamic, six-smashing, hard-running, batting globe-trotter, careering around the international Twenty20 scene, opening for franchises from West Indies to Australia and getting rewarded handsomely.
"I play for the Perth Scorchers in Australia in the Big Bash," begins the Cape Town native who played 90 Tests for South Africa over 12 years.
"I went to play for the Khulna Royals in Bangladesh in March and February of this year. Then I came home and played for the Cape Cobras, then on to the IPL [Indian Premier League] where I played for the Mumbai Indians. Then I jetted off to the UK and played for Durham Dynamos.
"I've been on the road for five months non-stop, week-in week- out. The body needs a break as well as the mind."
Gibbs took some time off before the Champions League and will then move on to the Big Bash, which ends in the second week of January.
This hectic lifestyle is the new reality for an increasing number of players, as they chase the exposure and riches offered by a growing and lucrative T20 market.
Competing franchises scrabble over the big-name signings, which in turn drives up prize money and salaries. Before you know it, big names are reappearing from the woodwork to participate.
Matthew Hayden played in the inaugural Big Bash aged 39, and Muttiah Muralitharan and Adam Gilchrist, both 40, performed in the IPL earlier this year. Shane Warne, now 43, appeared in the IPL and Big Bash in 2011.
Alongside those veterans who have returned and current Test players who take time out to play franchise Twenty20, a new breed of freelance cricketer has emerged - the likes of Dirk Nannes, Azhar Mahmood and Gibbs.
They are unrestrained by central contracts, unburdened by the weight of an international career but equipped with the skills, physiques and mindsets that allow them to dazzle crowds, win matches and boost bank balances.
It's a nomadic, challenging lifestyle, but one Gibbs says he relishes.
"I've taken it upon myself to keep myself busy playing the T20 format as much as I can," he says. "If you have a bubbly, outgoing personality you tend to gel quite well.
"Having been around for some time, I'm used to any conditions I face wherever I play. I've always wanted to try to put on a show and Twenty20 is the ideal stage to do that."
Without the support offered by a contracted position with a national side - a fixture list, coaches, training facilities, physiotherapists - it is up to the freelancer to go it alone. For Gibbs, this presents a challenge rather than a problem.
"My independence is not a burden or an issue for me. I watch what I eat. I enjoy my fitness. At home I have a few net sessions a week, just to stay in good nick," he explains.
"If I'm free then I make myself available to play. I know what my schedule is like and when all the competitions around the world are supposed to start and finish. Logistically it can be done."
For a young, talented cricketer, these opportunities might tempt them to ignore international cricket and focus on developing a Twenty20 career.
West Indies spinner Sunil Narine, 24, signed for Kolkata Knight Riders for £450,000 earlier in the year and helped propel them to the IPL title. He was the second most economical bowler in the competition - all before making his Test debut.
For Gibbs, becoming a professional T20 specialist could prove an attractive prospect for a developing, youthful cricketer.
"Freelancing could be an option for a lot of aspiring international cricketers in the future, and maybe even those who don't play internationally," he says.
"The amount of T20 that is played these days, I think some players can become very good T20 specialists. There are going to be a lot of opportunities and it's a real option for future players."
And what of the future for a South African veteran, plying his trade in the twilight of his career, yet still opening the batting for teams from Bangalore to Brisbane?
"I'd like to play for at least another three or four years," Gibbs says. "I'm 38 now. I've never believed age is an issue with me. I've been blessed with physique and speed. I have the body of a 28-year-old.
"There's no reason why I can't play. I want to keep on going."
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a) a star name through tests
b) retired but more than fit enough for T20
c) has perfect skill set for T20 & mind set for this lifestyle
d) a great bloke who fits in well to all teams - the Durham boys loved him
Doubt the counties would give few players exclusively t20 contracts. The trend is towards smaller squads who can play all forms of the game to achieve value form their investment. As long as the county game is subsidised by t20 & odi stuff.
The article (and Adrian) are correct. Nowhere does it say Gibbs dropped a catch in the final.
The editing in this article is perfectly fine. It's the reading that could do with work. ;-)
That's a goOd way to make a living
Frankly it's rubbish versus test cricket but I don't blame him
Remember him more for that 440 chase they made I think v Aussies
Will anyone care about 20 20 stats? Like say wisden averages?
I agree with you. T20 are less memorable than ODIs and certainly tests, but are more entertaining to watch. Lots of attacking cricket, energetic fielding, and all done in 2 3/4 hours. Try hook young children through T20 and then some of them will become test fans. I just think the 50 game needs to be dropped. For the sake of money, ICC would try to keep it, but will only confuse.
- Involved in match-fixing
- Took drugs
- Involved in racial abuse
That a good character does not make.
If ICC did ban someone would IPL as a private enterprise necessarily impose the ban?
Even the Ashes is losing gloss because it does not have greater context.
If you have a proper test series in place then the likes of Kevin Pietersen will want to play in every match.
By the way, appetite for test cricket in India isn't there any more. the crowds at test matches are pitiful. If India does not play yest cricket, I wonder if test cricket as a whole will go by the wayside or whether they will continue to play. The ICC has ceded too much power to India in the last few years and has mismanaged international cricket in that time.
I see youngsters making a name for themselves in their own T20 leagues, then getting contracts in other leagues, and, if successful, ending up in their national T20 teams without ever having played the longer game.
Staging T20 world cup more frequently will make T20 cricket more meaningful rather than playing arbitrary T20 matches.
Each test nation should play no more than 10 tests a calender year, mostly 2/3 match series, contributing to a world test championship played over a two-year cycle.