Gibbs might well be called 'the dark Laker'

By A. C. de Silva

CRICKET: Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan is now the talk of the town with his world record haul of 713 wickets at the end of the First Test against England at the Asgiriya Stadium. In years gone by, there were two other world-class off-spinners in England's Jim Laker who took that once in a life-time haul of 19 wickets out of a possible 20 in the Test against Australia. This was featured in the Sunday Observer a few weeks ago.

Today, we feature the deeds of that West Indian off-spinner Lance Gibbs - the tall, pencil-slim bowler from Guiana.

It is well worth recalling the efforts of Gibbs, as many cricket fans may not be aware about the wonderful bowling of this lanky West Indian.

He might well be called "the dark Laker". Gibbs may not be an off-break bowler in the classic mould of Laker, whose action remains, as he wheels away in comparative obscurity. He flaunts orthodoxy without renouncing effectiveness.

Lance Gibbs played in 79 Tests and bowled 27,115 deliveries and gave away 8,989 runs and captured 309 wickets for an average of 29.09 runs.

He seemed almost to bowl off the wrong foot, with a windmill action and arm coming through, as it were, out of step with his body action. Gibbs' best effort was 8 for 38 in the second innings against India at Barbados in 1961-62 while his best match effort was 11 for 157 (5 for 59 and 6 for 98) against England at Manchester in 1963. He took five or more wickets in an innings on 18 occasions and ten or more wickets in a match twice.

Like his predecessor, Sony Ramadhin, Gibbs' flight and trajectory puzzle batsmen almost as much as his spin. Gibbs, however, is more truly an off-break bowler than Ramadhin, who was really a two-way spinner with a bemusing sleight of hand. Gibbs was also versatile however. He dropped a leg-break right on a length, but he used to change his action and bowl out of the back of his hand in the traditional way to do so. He was in fact an artist with a cricket ball and in so being helped to establish a new tradition in West Indies cricket.

Twin pillars

The fame and performances of the West Indies have been built upon two-pillars of strength - acceding stroke-making batsmen and strong and very fast bowlers.

Ramadhin and Valentine, "the Calypso kids", started a new tradition in 1950, but Ramadhin went to other fields and though Valentine stayed with the Windies, their spin bowling came over to Gibbs.

Being slim, loose-limbed and deceptively strong for his build, however, the West Indies should be able to count on the services of Gibbs. He has always been able to bowl in long spells and learned early the lesson of "blood, toil and sweat" that all bowlers have to absorb if they are to reach and stay at the top.

Led Test averages

In 1954, playing for his native British Guiana against Len Hutton's M.C.C. team, he bowled 41 overs in the innings in which Willie Watson and Tom Graveney made their record-breaking stand of 402. It has taken him a long time to achieve his ambition in having a further sustained tilt at the Englishmen, although he made a mark in international cricket by leading the Test averages against the Pakistan touring team in 1957-58, and also bowled well on the tour of India and Pakistan the following winter.

Ironically his enthusiasm prevented him playing against England when next the M.C.C. toured the Caribbean in 1959-60. For some reason best known the West Indies' selectors, or perhaps attributable to Inter-Colony prejudices which, until recently arrested the natural development of West Indies cricket as a whole, he was not selected for the early Test Matches of that series.

The Fourth Test was in Georgetown and Gibbs seemed certain to play. He bowled beautifully but without luck in the previous match for British Guiana against the touring team and this was the match that made one first take real note of Gibbs.

He literally wore his spinning finger to the bone in his team's cause even in the knowledge that there was a Test match coming along the following week.

This self-inflicted wound on his index finger, caused through excessive spinning of the ball over a long bowling period, prevented him playing in the Fourth Test and, indeed, he took no part in the series. But remembering his courage and his skill, one was not surprised when he established himself in Australia the following year.

First Test hat-trick

Gibbs did not play in the famous tie, nor in the Second Test which Australia won by seven wickets; Ramadhin was still preferred. During that series, however, Frank Worrell became concerned that his team was not fielding as skilfully as he expected by international standards. There was some doubt about Ramadhin's fitness for the Third Test but in any case. Gibbs had been impressive both in his bowling and general attitude in matches in Tasmania, and he was chosen for the Third Test at Sydney.

Australia reached 200 for 6 in reply to West Indies' total of 339 and before Worrell could think of taking the new ball, Gibbs had polished off the innings by taking the wickets of Mackly, Martin and Grout in four balls. In the second innings Gibbs completed a great victory for the West Indies with another devastating spell on the fifth morning when he took four wickets for two runs in a spell of 27 balls.

Australian newspapers drew inevitable comparison with Gibbs' effort in his first Test in that country and the off-spinning of Laker. The comparison has stood ever since and Gibbs, as though to prove that it was no one-minute wonder, achieved the first-hat-trick in a Test match in Australia in 1961 when he dismissed Mackay, Grout and Misson in the Fourth Test at Adelaide. So it was that this quiet and a modest man took 10 Australian wickets in a total of 34 balls - although, of course, they were not consecutive.

The West Indian off-spinner is ever thankful to Australian leg-break bowler and skipper then Richie Benaud who has helped Gibbs to keep his deadly spin intact after his 5 for 58 against England in June 1963.

A spin bowler's essential remedies of sandpaper and surgical spirit have limitations in keeping hand worked digits, both sensitive and uninjured by the repeated process of twisting relentless leather into deceptive flight. Sandpaper fines down the callous caused by constant friction of a ball on the finger. Without it, the skin will crack and bleed to the detriment of the bowler's grip and spin. Spirit relieves chafting and soreness.

But these orthodox remedies notwithstanding, skipper Worrell feared Gibbs' finger might not stand to the strain of a five-day Test.

Unusual bounce

He returned home, now established as the leading spin bowler of the side, and bowled most overs in the series against India. Continuing in the Laker tradition in the Third Test at Bridgetown he had figures at one stage of 14 overs, 12 maidens, 6 runs, 7 wickets. In the five matches he took 24 wickets. And so to England and to Manchester where Laker made history and where Gibbs gave the West Indies a flying start of their rubber against England with another 11 wickets. At this stage he had taken 79 wickets in only 17 Test matches, a wicket-taking rate that compares favourably with most of the all-time "greats".

He was successful in Australia and in other hard wicket conditions because he pushes the ball through quickly, and this, allied with sharp finger spin, gave him an unusual degree of bounce. In England this summer he has sometimes give the impression that he bowls a little too fast, but he has so much variety, without loss of control, that he can adapt himself to any conditions; and it is because of his quickness through the air and off the pitch that he can be so useful to his captain on easy paced surfaces where slower bowlers cannot break through.

Gibbs turned into a full-time cricket professional. In 1961 he was Burnley's professional in the Lancashire League and last season assisted Whitburn in the Durham Senior League.

Like the remainder of that season's touring party he cannot speak highly enough of his captain, Frank Worrell. They have such utter faith in him. It can be recalled that Gerry Gomez, the manager of the team in Australia, saying "These boys play as much for Frank as they do for the West Indies."

Gibbs also claims that the fielding skill of his colleagues in the short-leg specialist positions has been of tremendous benefit to him. "Fellows like Conrad (Hunte), Gary (Sobers) and Joe (Solomon) have caught some fantastic catches for me. Gary is marvellous. He stands so close and his reactions are so quick," says Gibbs - not that he is usually in the habit of saying much. He is a quietly - spoiler and modest man and a studious type of individual.

What else is there to say about "the dark Laker"? Perhaps the last word should be with his vice-captain Conrad Hunte, the man who succeeded Worrell when he retired at the end of the series. "Lance? Well, he is one of the boys, always thinking and talking about cricket. He likes music of all sorts and he likes dancing, as do most West Indians.

He does not have any pet superstitions or hopes. The thing that strikes you most about him is the way he tries all the time. You can put him down as a 100-per cent team man".

Yes, opposing batsmen will vouch that Lancelott Gibbs is a "one hundred per cent team man."