By Tarryn Giebelmann

Sure, being the youngest person in 130 years to play for Western Province at the age of 16 is no small feat, but when he says things like, “Yes, I’m only too aware of the natural talent I have for the game – it would be insincere for me to pretend otherwise,” I think it might be time he’s knocked down a few rungs.

The first two chapters offer a glimpse into Gibbs’ childhood, his rise in the cricketing ranks and his approach to the game. He reveals how he regrets being recruited to A-section level cricket at such a young age, as he believes it set his progress back. This is just the first of many impressions I got that Gibbs was constantly trying to make excuses for those occasions that his performance was wanting. Nothing ever seems to be his fault. In another example of an attempt to cover his own backside, Gibbs says he could have changed the score of a couple of games, had he batted the way he wanted to bat, and not how the coach told him to bat. Again... he’s absolved of blame.

Gibbs dedicates an entire chapter to what he calls the ‘good times’. Page after page, Gibbs tells of the many times he lost his name (and memory) because of drinking; of the many women he’s bedded; and of his teammates’ raunchy escapades. From sharing women, to strippers in hotel rooms, to not knowing how the woman in his bed got there the next morning; not to mention the flashy cars, clothes and how many sponsors he has, it becomes evident that Gibbs definitely has a very high opinion of himself. It is in this chapter that he also tells of the notorious “fines meetings” – where players would be fined in the form of drinks, at the discretion of the “fines master”, for any real or perceived transgressions during a game – and the charming story of a coach that was on the receiving end of one too many fines. The tone of the book is now set.

Gibbs gets a bit more serious from the fourth chapter onwards, when he speaks about his stint in rehab for alcohol abuse (although he insists he never was an alcoholic); getting his 17-year-old girlfriend pregnant when he was 22; his relationship with his son; and divorcing his wife after just one year of marriage because his alcohol abuse was impacting negatively on her (Read: he missed his bachelor lifestyle). He touches on the match-fixing controversies, revealing the names of other players who were also approached by then-coach, Hansie Cronje, and which team member thought a bribe was worth consideration. Gibbs also discloses which players took part in the weed-smoking event in the West Indies and which other player should have been nailed for the racial slur against Pakistani fans in 2007. Yes, you’re going to have to read the book if you’re curious.

Finally, come chapter seven, Gibbs starts talking cricket. While he makes mention of some games in the preceding chapters, it is only really given a focus here. Gibbs speaks of his most memorable games, including scoring his first 100 for South Africa; the “dropped catch” in the 1997 World Cup; scoring six sixes; the infamous 438 game; and being eliminated twice in a World Cup semi-final by the Proteas’ nemesis, Australia. Gibbs is also candid about the state of the national team, how he doesn’t feel the team is as tight-knit as it was under previous coaches; and how he believes they deserve to be called ‘chokers’ because of a lack of big game temperament. Of course, Gibbs has big game temperament by the bucketload...
Gibbs dedicates one chapter to the teammates that he’s closest to and another to his top 10 players, only one of which is South African. He ends off with an explosive chapter on his opinions of the Proteas and his future in cricket. He speaks of the clique within the team as well as Graeme Smith’s influence on the players; and offers some solutions to the team’s alleged “ingrained fear of failure”, ending off by blaming his recent poor performance on the fact that the team selectors messed him around – again, not his fault.

So, is the public response to the book justified? In some cases, sure, but I don’t think it warrants legal action. Cricket SA was to seek legal advice from its attorneys, declining to comment further on the book. There was also talk of people threatening to sue Gibbs, but seeing as though freedom of speech is enshrined in our Constitution, it’s not likely this will materialise. In all honesty, I’m not sure I can put my finger on what all the fuss was about. Sure, some people will have bruised egos and be slightly embarrassed, but I don’t think Gibbs defamed anyone to the point where legal action is necessary.

Just what is Gibbs’ point, exactly? Is he bitter about the current state of the Proteas, compared to how it has been under previous coaches? Perhaps because Gibbs is nearing the end of his cricketing career, he needed to go out with one last hoorah? Whatever the case, To the Point is brutal, contradictory and oozes testosterone, but did we honestly expect anything less from Herschelle Gibbs? I leave you with a quote from the man himself, “Whether now or when I was finished, I had an interesting 20 years as a cricketer and I wanted to share these stories and I only answered the questions that people have been asking me throughout [my] career.”

To the Point is published by Zebra Press of Random House Struik.