South Africa's natural born thriller

Herschelle Gibbs knows he won't be able to slip under the radar this summer. Australian fans never let him forget his role in a betting scandal which brought down his captain Hansie Cronje, or the moment of madness when he dropped Steve Waugh at the 1999 World Cup.

On his third tour of Australia, Gibbs is intent on making his name through his deeds with the bat rather than as the target of a Waugh sledge which, he believes, probably never happened. Despite the pressure he will face from fans and foes, Gibbs knows he has the natural resilience and ability to succeed on the toughest tour of all. But he believes he has yet to show his true abilities, starting with a first tour in 1998.

"I wasn't really an established player but I played in a couple of Tests and four or five one-dayers," he tells Inside Cricket. "We actually probably had our best and most established side at this time. Allan Donald was really quick, Polly [Shaun Pollock] was still firing at around the 140kph mark and we still had Hansie [Cronje], but for me it was very much a learning experience."

And what did he learn? "It is the toughest tour from a mental point of view," he says. "It is just so mentally tough and draining - on and off the field. It is not just the players you play against; the media and public are very much in your face too."

In 2001, South Africa returned to Australian shores being touted as the second best team in the world. It was a series so keenly awaited that in a moment of frustration against New Zealand, who were the summer's entrée, Glenn McGrath enquired of a batsman: "When are you lot going to bugger off so we can play a real team?"

The Kiwis eventually "buggered off" and in stepped the South Africans. "We didn't just lose; we got hammered in all three Tests," Gibbs says. "It was such a disappointment. There was so much tension going into the first Test at Adelaide. Justin Langer described it as being like two heavyweight title fighters apprehensively waiting for the first big punch to be thrown, which I reckon was a pretty accurate description."

The first telling blow was landed and it came in the form of the tag-team duo of Langer and Matthew Hayden. "We simply got outplayed," he says. "Langer and Hayden made merry all throughout the series and set Australia up for scores of 500 to 600 in all three Tests. We simply couldn't get in the fight."

And his disappointment doesn't start and end with the team's results. "I'd come off a Man-of-the-Series performance against India so I can't say I was short on confidence and in fact I got off to a good start with 80-odd, but after that I guess the nerves just got the better of me," he says. "I got too up for the challenge and in the second Test when McGrath chirped me about the Hansie thing I reacted badly. It was a mistake on my part. I'll admit to being intimidated, but that is quite a common thing for many players in Australia."

However, Gibbs bounced back from some pretty nasty episodes to fashion a very impressive Test and ODI record. Without a doubt the nastiest episode was his six-month ban in 2000 for his part in the match-fixing scandal. "Perhaps Hansie was as much to blame for my downfall as his own, but I accept I made a mistake," he says. "Everyone makes mistakes in their lives and their chosen careers and yes I made a big one, but I'm just glad I only got six months off and have been allowed to move on.

"Boy it was hard coming back and first-up against Sri Lanka I was so nervous. I think I got a couple of ducks straight up and then in Australia in 2001 I copped a heap from the crowds. But time heals most things and even though I expect to get a little ribbing this time round, I accept it is in my past."

Also in the past is the famous dropped catch off Waugh, who reportedly told him he had just dropped the World Cup. Gibbs believes that story is more myth than legend. "If he did say it I didn't hear it," he says. "Maybe he made comment of it in the press conference, but I definitely didn't hear anything on the field."

That was in limited-overs cricket and Gibbs has pretty strong views as to where that rates. "You never hail the one-day heroes," he says. "You never really hear about one-day runs. No, it is all about Tests. The greats are measured on their tally of Test runs and averages. I'm not really bothered about my ODI average, strike-rate is perhaps more important."

When it comes to Tests there is no doubt Gibbs is aiming for a tally that will place him among the world's greats. "I aim to score 1000 Test runs per calendar year," he says. "If I play another five years I then should have 10,000 Test runs."

Five years is quite conservative for one of the game's better athletes and a man who has taken over the fielding mantle of Jonty Rhodes. He takes his fitness seriously and prides himself on being in the top three when the South Africans are assessed. It is an understatement when he says: "I'm blessed with natural speed."

This summer Gibbs will have more faith in his natural ability than on the past two tours. It probably helps that his last Test innings against Australia was a century made in the final match of the home series in 2002. "It started to fall into place because I got a little more comfortable against them," he says. "In the past they knew they could rattle me and I'd lose concentration, but I've played a lot more games now and this time I'm where I want to be and it is comforting to know what I'm up for as not much has changed with them."

For many Tests he had been the more flamboyant half of two successful opening partnerships; firstly with the retired Gary Kirsten and later with Graeme Smith as they began to build a record to rival the Langer-Hayden combination. Gibbs is now walking in to bat at No. 5 and while it may not be his favoured position, he has accepted the challenge. He even reckons Australia may not be the worst place to find success in the middle order.

"I got frustrated in the West Indies," he says. "I'd come in with 300-odd on the board, the ball would be soft, no pace to work with and I just couldn't play my natural game. In Oz, at least the wickets are quicker, which might help with my natural game."

So how does a natural born ball striker and opener with a terrific record find himself in the middle order? "We didn't know what to do with AB de Villiers - he has done so well, however no one has really filled their boots at No. 5 or 6 so I'll do it and see if can provide some solidity. I mean at the end of the day I could have said stuff the team and de Villiers would have had to bide his time, but putting the team first is more important."

It is an attitude that shows Gibbs is far from the naive kid once influenced and manipulated by Cronje. He is now a leader and along with Jacques Kallis carries the experience in the batting lineup. "This is possibly the best top six we have had for a while: inexperienced but talented," he says. "Obviously myself and Kallis must lead by example but looking at the others they are all quite attacking. We all must play our natural games. We will definitely have a few discussions about going out and being natural."