Gibbs treated ban as a 'holiday'

A serious Herschelle Gibbs at the King Commission hearings

Herschelle Gibbs is no stranger to controversy. In a short life he has run foul of the authorities on several occasions, most notably when he became embroiled in the infamous match-fixing scandal with the disgraced former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje. But in an interview with Simon Wilde in the London-based Sunday Times, Gibbs showed little remorse for his involvement with Cronje and even joked that he treated his six-month ban as a "holiday".

"I loved it," he said when asked about his forced break. "I played golf virtually every week. It wasn't a difficult time. I'm a happy sort of guy. I don't really get down about things that don't go my way." The life-skills counselling that Gibbs undertook following the hearings appears not to have included the art of thinking before speaking.

At the King Commission hearings, Gibbs broke down during questioning, and yet he admitted that soon after he and Cronje "had a good laugh". And Gibbs added that he held no animosity towards Cronje for getting him involved in the scandal. "No. I never for one minute held it against him."

Barry Richards hinted that Gibbs isn't necessarily the sharpest card in the pack. "Team management should not burden him with game plans and undue responsibility," he told Wilde.

Perhaps the best assessment of Gibbs comes from Wilde himself. "He is living proof of the dangers inherent in living the blinkered existence of the professional sportsman," Wilde wrote. "He still laughs at serious issues and often opens mouth before engaging brain."