Cricket
Herschelle Gibbs: The Batters are Not Working on the Art of Playing Spin
Herschelle Gibbs highlights South Africa's ongoing struggle against spin and the need to improve fitness and fielding ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Read his insights on how the Proteas can better prepare for subcontinent conditions.
Image Credits: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
Former South Africa batter Gibbs feels the Proteas have to improve their batting skills against spin, and fielding, to stand out in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year.
South Africa's struggle against spin resurfaced after the ODI series loss to Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. The spinners accounted for 16 wickets in the 2-1 triumph. Youngsters Allah Ghazanfar (off-spinner) and Nangeyaliya Kharote (slow left-arm) tormented the tourists alongside the seasoned leggie Rashid Khan.
Many key players were missing from the Proteas squad. It handed opportunities to fringe players who couldn't make it count. The team still had the likes of Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Tristan Stubbs and Reeza Hendricks among the batters.
South Africa made the semi-final of the ODI World Cup 2023 and finished runners-up at the T20 World Cup. Their preparations for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, starting February 19, 2025, will be complete once they iron out the issues against playing spin.
Not playing enough spin
Former South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs feels experience for new players is invaluable, although playing spin remains an issue. "It has been an Achilles heel for a while now. The guys don't have to face spin for long in all the T20 cricket being played. The wickets are also good in T20s. It is not a problem if the ball doesn't turn much. When the ball starts turning, it is a bit of an issue," he told SportsBoom.com.
Gibbs feels not all batters are working on negotiating against spin at the nets. "Probably a lot of batters around the world are not getting to the nets with balls that are turning. They are not working on the art of playing spin. It is a skillset we need to improve on. There is time to work on it, and it can be handled better. There were shortcomings in the first two matches," he added.
Practising on challenging wickets
Having played three ODI World Cups, the 50-year-old thinks that scouting skilled spinners from within South Africa to bowl at nets regularly in different pitches could provide a solution. "Not a bad idea to get some guys with funny or unorthodox actions. It is about practising on wickets that challenge you rather than hitting the balls for the sake of it. I have been coaching a little bit, and I have observed there is a shortfall among batters to play spin when the ball turns," he said.
In today's cricket, the batters play ramp shots using the crease apart from the slog sweep. The new age spinners bowl quick to attack. "They are quicker through the air. They almost eliminate using your feet. It prevents you from getting to the pitch of the ball. There is a chance of you missing it and getting stuck. A lot of the batters choose to hit from the crease, and they can't make the adjustment when the ball does turn," he reasoned.
Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, who were not part of the Sharjah tour, are skilled against spin. Gibbs recalled that the former was bowled by part-time off-spinner Travis Head in the ODI World Cup semifinal against Australia. "Head got him out with a ball that turned."
Gibbs feels the Proteas must improve their fitness as well leading to the Champions Trophy. "The standard of fielding has dropped quite considerably over the last couple of years. Fitness must improve, and if it does, it will reflect in the fielding. The more fit you are, the longer you can keep the intensity on the field. You can throw your body around if you are fitter and faster. The subcontinent will be hot, and it will test the fitness levels. It is always difficult getting hundreds," he said.
South Africa is ranked No. 3 in the ICC ODI rankings and the loss to Afghanistan, ranked No. 9, should be a reality check ahead of the next ICC event.
Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya is a cricket journalist based in India who takes a keen interest in stories that unfold on and off the field. His expertise lies in news writing, features and profiles, interviews, stats, and numbers-driven stories. He has also worked as a podcaster and talk show host on cricket-related shows on YouTube and Spotify.