Cricket SA versus Herschelle Gibbs

This whole story between Herschelle Gibbs and Cricket South Africa (CSA) is really a little bizarre.

Obviously there was going to be some fall out after the release of his autobiography but it doesn't seem like it has been handled very well.

On Friday the news headlines are all trumpeting that Gibbs has been dumped by CSA but then they send out the following press release trying to "clarify" the situation.

Still looks about as clear as mud to me. So he can play but he can't play?

CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (CSA) today issued an apology to Herschelle Gibbs (Gibbs) for, on 3 December prematurely issuing an inaccurate media release regarding the termination of its contractual relationship with Gibbs.

The following correctly reflects the agreement concluded between CSA and Gibbs:

Following amicable discussions, and in the best interests of South African cricket, CSA and Gibbs have announced that they have agreed to terminate Gibbs’ National Cricketer Contract by mutual consent.

“It has been agreed that this is the best way forward for both parties,” commented CSA CEO Gerald Majola.

“On behalf of CSA I would like to wish Herschelle all the best for his future and to thank him for the contribution he has made to the successes of the Proteas over an extended period of time,” he added.

“Herschelle represented our country for 14 years with distinction and I don’t think any cricket lover will ever forget the magnificent innings he played in the famous 438 game against Australia.”

Gibbs remains eligible for selection for the Proteas, and has requested CSA to issue a “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) to allow him to play in a Twenty20 competition in New Zealand later this month. CSA has agreed to do so.

Gibbs said, “I’d like to thank CSA, my team mates and especially the public for the unbelievable support over the years. The fans have been incredible and they all rock. I look forward to entertaining everyone on the world stage.”

Neither Gibbs nor CSA will comment further on this matter, the content of the agreement concluded between them, being confidential.

The greatest "sledges"

When hefty Zimbabwean chicken farmer Eddo Brandes kept on playing and missing to an increasingly frustrated Glenn McGrath, the Australian had had enough and decided a bit of verbals were called for: 'Oi, Brandes, why the hell are you so fat?' Quick as a flash, the answer came back: 'Because every time I shag your missus, she gives me a biscuit.' Few games have such a rich history of sledging as cricket, with the Australians famed masters of the art.

This collection, featuring contributions from talkSPORT's own Darren Gough and Ronnie Irani as well as many other cricket stars, brings together the best examples from around the world. To be effective, sometimes the sledge can be funny, as when Andrew Flintoff urged Tino Best, who was struggling to lay a bat on the ball, to 'mind the windows' at Lord's. Best immediately charged down the pitch to attack Ashley Giles' next ball and was stumped. But sometimes an element of real menace can do the trick, as when Malcolm Marshall commented to a struggling David Boon: 'Now are you going to get out or am I going to have to bowl round the wicket and kill you?'

Buy this book online now for R136 by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

Taking The Mickey

Mickey Arthur was one of SA’s longest-serving and most successful coaches. In 2008, along with the national team, he created history when the Proteas beat both England and Australia on their own turf. Beating Pakistan away from home the year before, set in motion an unprecedented journey to the number one ranking in both ODI and Test cricket. Since the world ranking system was introduced to international cricket, Australia has been the only other team to achieve this feat.

In 12 tours ‘down under’ spanning almost a century, South Africa has never managed to win a Test series in Australia. But Arthur, captain Graeme Smith and the rest of the team overcame incredible odds to chase a total of over 400 in the first Test in Perth. They faced what seemed certain defeat in Melbourne to win again and take an unbeatable 2-0 series lead. South Africa became the top ranked team in test cricket, finally unseating the mighty Australians who dominated for years. Soon after, they repeated this feat when they became the top ranked ODI team.


But behind the scenes, things weren’t always progressing smoothly. Whereas Arthur would do anything for the team, his uncompromising approach to administrators and refusal to be dictated to by men he believed were ‘out of touch’, was beginning to count against him. Not surprisingly, the Proteas failed to live up to the heights of 2008. They suffered the ignominy of a first round exit from the Champions Trophy at the beginning of the 2009 season. Soon after, they had to win the final Test of a four-match series against England to salvage a draw.

But there was nothing ominous about the players’ collective form and spirits were high as the squad prepared for a tour to India. The tour was for all intents and purposes a Test match ‘world championship’ between the two nations ranked first and second in the world. A week before the team’s departure, Arthur ‘resigned’. He was given no choice. A press conference was hastily called in his home town of East London and Smith flew from Cape Town to appear alongside him and quash rumours of deterioration in their personal relationship. Arthur never elaborated on the reasons for his untimely dismissal.

You can buy the book online from Kalahari by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

The Extraordinary Book of SA Cricket

The Extraordinary Book of South African Cricket is the perfect gift for any cricket fanatic. Following up on their tremendous success with The Penguin Book of South African Sports Trivia, Kevin McCallum and David O’Sullivan have trawled the South African cricket archives and put together a collection of behind-the-scenes tales, curiosities, trivia, quotable quotes, famous pranks, amazing-but-true scorecards, great triumphs and embarrassing blunders.

You can buy the book for R104 from Kalahari by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

International Cricket 2010

International Cricket 2010 has the most authentic and intuitive cricket gameplay you've ever experienced; featuring a range of innovations to deliver the definitive videogame representation of the sport.

Officially licensed by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket board) and Cricket Australia, IC 2010 includes official players, stadia and kits, for an authentic cricket experience.

Next-generation graphics, a stellar commentary team including Jonathan ‘Aggers’ Agnew and Shane Warne, and Hawk-Eye technology combine for a slick TV style presentation.

IC 2010 will take interactive cricket to the next level.

You can buy this game online for Xbox for R365.70 by clicking HERE or on the game cover.

Sachin Tendulkar - Biography

‘He’s a god in India and people believe luck shines in his hand . . . It is beyond chaos—It is a frantic appeal by a nation to one man.’— Matthew Hayden on Sachin Tendulkar In the twenty years that he has been in the public eye, Sachin Tendulkar has been explosive on the cricket field and just as reticent off it. He was barely fifteen years old when he first wrote his name into record books with a stupendous 664-run partnership with his childhood friend Vinod Kambli. A few months later, he struck his first century in first-class cricket.

At seventeen he became the second youngest man to make a hundred in international cricket, and after that there was no looking back. Today, Sachin is widely regarded as the world’s finest batsman, with impeccable technique, an incredible array of strokes, and maturity far beyond his years.

In this biography of the hero of Indian cricket, sports writer Gulu Ezekiel mines interviews, press reports and conversations over the last two decades and more to create an accurate and sympathetic account of the man and his first passion: cricket. He tracks Sachin from his childhood when he first caught the bug of cricket, through his early performances in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments, and follows him on his meteoric rise to international stardom.

Buy this book online from Kalahari for R120 by clicking HERE or on the book cover.

Herschelle Gibbs bio looks fun

There have rarely been few cricketers as precocious as Herschelle Gibbs and that's why I was quite excited to see that his autobiography is about to hit the shelves. Should make an awesome Christmas present.

It releases on 1 November and you can buy it from Kalahari for R160 or click on the book cover.

To the Point: The No-holds-barred Autobiography:
There's something about Herschelle Gibbs - a certain quality that has endeared him to cricket fans in South Africa and around the world.

Despite the frustrating on-field inconsistencies of this towering talent, and the messy and very public off-field personal troubles that have tracked him through the years, Gibbs remains one of South African cricket's best-loved sons.

In his own, very frank, words, Herschelle Gibbs chronicles the ups and downs of his personal and professional life, and describes what it's been like to be part of the Proteas for the past fourteen years, through the controversies of its various captains, coaches and administrators.

To the Point is of course, a spicy story of excess - women, alcohol, money and plenty of runs - but it also reveals a warm and generous man who wears his heart on his slevee.