So, just exactly who is Ottis Gibson then?

Ottis Gibson, the Proteas’ new head coach, has always had a thing for underdogs.

There’s no better example of that than in 1999, when he turned out for Griqualand West as an overseas pro.

Also read: Ottis Gibson gets his first major endorsement as Proteas coach

On a typically balmy March night in Kimberley, the home side were struggling to chase down a stiff target of 255 against a formidable Gauteng in a semifinal of the domestic one-day cup.

Promoted to No 5, Gibson smashed a magnificent 76 off 52 balls as their shell-shocked opponents were dumped out of competition.

Flying high, Griquas won the final the following week.

It remains their only provincial limited overs title.

About eight years later, Gibson was at it again.

Signed as a 38-year-old seasoned pro by English county Durham, he took the local game by storm in 2007.

He snapped up an astonishing 80 first-class wickets in that campaign as his team – pretty much known as lightweights – ended second.

More importantly, Gibson added another 22 wickets in 50-over cricket as Durham clinched a maiden limited overs title.

That success came out of nowhere and confirmed the West Indian veteran as a reliable pro.

But his experiences weren’t always as magical.

As an international bowler, Gibson only played two Tests for the West Indies – which only delivered three wickets – and became known as a one-day bowler.

That label seemed an injustice because he was far more versatile than that.

Even more frustratingly for him, Gibson took 34 wickets in 15 ODIs , which was a pretty limited amount of opportunities for a man considered a white-ball player.

His time in South African cricket had its struggles.

The Barbadian shone from 1993 to 1995 for a mediocre Border and got exposed to local sport’s political realities in 2000 at Gauteng.

That season at the Wanderers was a nasty one.

Not only was there massive infighting but also a struggle to balance what were very mild transformation targets at that stage.

It’s a small amount of exposure but it’s hopefully enough for Gibson to understand that South African cricket is on a brave, delicate journey.

As a coach, Gibson also seems to thrive when observers underestimate his teams.

He’s credited with making England’s brilliant bowling duo of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad the players they are over his six year stint as bowling coach.

And in 2012 he overcame the chaos that is West Indies cricket to guide them to the ICC World T20 title.

So here’s the thing about Gibson’s appointment then.

He’s probably not the biggest name but also not an obscure one.

He’ll probably have to get used to South African cricket’s new and unique realities but he’s also a foreign candidate who knows the landscape better than others.

The only question is: is Gibson inheriting a team of underdogs or one that just needs to unlock its star power again?