Gibbs reconsidering future with South Africa

Dashing South African opener Herschelle Gibbs has given indications that he may contemplate terminating his South Africa career after being left out of the Test squad for the tour of England.

"I`ve got some decisions to make in the next few weeks whether to carry on at international level," Gibbs said. "I`m not in the squad and I`m not sure if I`ll get back into the one-day team either."

Gibbs who will play for Glamorgan in the Twenty20 Cup, to start on June 11, said that he could stay on for the season as a Kolpak player. "Maybe my appearance for Glamorgan in the Twenty20 Cup could be a sign of things to come."

He replaces Jason Gillespie as Glamorgan`s overseas player for the tournament.

Gibbs last played a Test in January against West Indies but did not feature in the Test teams that recently toured Bangladesh and India. However, he did play in the ODI series in Bangladesh. "I`ve spoken to the coach and he said I`m first reserve for South Africa in case anyone gets injured. So we`ll have to wait and see. But I`ve been dying for a proper go at an English cricket county for the last few years so maybe me coming to Glamorgan has happened at a good time." Gibbs is easily one of the most destructive batsmen when he is on song. But of late, he hasn`t done anything spectacular in the Twenty20s as well. He managed just 103 runs in six matches for the Cape Cobras in the Pro20 competition in South Africa, and was one of the biggest disappointments of the Indian Premier League, managing just 167 in nine matches for the bottom-finishers Deccan Chargers.

The 34-year-old Gibbs is, however, expected to play a key role at Glamorgan. Given the young profile of the squad., he would be expected to don the role of a mentor as well. Gibbs too, on his part, exudes confidence. "I love Twenty20 cricket and it has certainly set the cricket world alight," he said. "I know Glamorgan`s squad is quite inexperienced so I hope my knowledge can rub off on everyone”.

South Africa, who have not yet named their squad for the limited-overs fixtures in England, begin the tour with a game against Somerset on June 29. The four Test-series runs from July 10 to August 11, with a one-off T20 scheduled for August 20, followed by a five-match ODI series.