CAPE TOWN – One of the prodigal sons of South African cricket, Herschelle Gibbs, has begun the serious part of his coaching career in the most unlikely of places: Kuwait.
Yes, that’s Kuwait in the Middle East, previously well known for the 1991 Gulf War after it was occupied by Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Army.
But now in the modern age, it has recovered to the extent that the Kuwaiti Dinar is the highest-value currency in the world – one dinar will cost you just over R39!
This is mainly due to the country’s large oil reserves, the sixth-most on the globe.
With a large Indian expatriate community, they’re looking to tap into their cricketing stocks, and have brought former Proteas star Gibbs on board to unlock that potential.
The immediate challenge for Gibbs, who turned 44 last Friday, is to take the Kuwait team through the ICC World T20 sub-regional qualifiers that will take place in the country in April.
What an exciting challenge this is for all of us.. https://t.co/b6R1zURTUX
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) February 28, 2018
The final tournament line-up will feature 14 teams.
The ICC World T20 takes place in Australia in 2020, with the West Indies as the defending champions from the 2016 edition in India.
“What an exciting challenge this is for all of us,” Gibbs said on his Twitter account on Wednesday.
Gibbs played in 90 Tests, 248 ODIs and 23 T20 internationals for the Proteas. His most recent coaching stint was in Afghanistan’s T20 domestic league last September.
@ashfakmohamed