South African top-order batting powerhouse Herschelle Gibbs has become the fifth overseas player to sign up for this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) set to get under way in July.
Gibbs joins Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist from Australia, New Zealand’s Ross Taylor and Pakistan’s Twenty20 International (T20I) captain Mohammad Hafeez as confirmed big-name signings for the inaugural franchise-based tournament to be played across six Caribbean countries.
Gibbs is the first man in history to hit six sixes in a single over in international cricket, a feat achieved in St Kitts during the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.
“I am really looking forward to playing in the first CPL,” declared 39-year-old Gibbs, who has represented teams all over the world, including the Deccan Chargers squad that won the Indian Premier League in 2009.
“I love the Caribbean and have great memories of touring there.”
Gibbs’ international career spans 15 years and includes 90 Tests, 248 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 23 T20Is.
He has 35 hundreds for his country, 21 of them coming in ODIs – the most by a South African player.
“The people are lovely and although each nation is different, they all have that same warmth and charm that makes everyone want to go there,” said Gibbs, who scored two hundreds in the Caribbean in the 2001 ODI series against the West Indies, with 104 in Antigua and 107 in Barbados.
“Many of the West Indies players have become my friends over the years and playing alongside them in their home countries will really be special.”
Also confirmed are six West Indies franchise players – Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels. (CMC)
