The 438 cricket match holds a lesson for us all

A positive aspect of the coronavirus crisis is that well-known South Africans are trying to help those in distress.

The latest of these is Proteas cricket legend Herschelle Gibbs, who has put up for charity auction the bat he used to help his team win the famous 438 match against Australia.

It’s one of the most outstanding – and valuable – pieces of South African sporting memorabilia – other than the ball Joel Stransky kicked to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup – and should fetch a sizeable sum.

The fact that Gibbs is willing to put it up for a good cause – rather than hold on to it and reminisce later, in his twilight years about past glories (as many sports people are wont to do) – shows that in spite of the flawed personality he may have shown at times, his heart is in the right place.

In slamming 175 runs of just 111 balls that day in March in 2006, Gibbs showed what a supreme talent he was and etched his name indelibly in South African cricket lore.

But he also showed that, just when a situation seems impossible, belief and commitment can turn it around.

That’s a message for our times…

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