How much more rope should Gibbs be given?

Sometime there is a limit to how much licence or latitude you give a sportsman before telling him enough is enough.

That is the situation right now with Herschelle Gibbs after his drinking episode the day before the Proteas' match against Bangladesh, which quickly prompted management to send him home and order him to attend a rehab centre for drinking problems.

It is the umpteenth time the talented top-order batsmen has found himself on the wrong side of the law after his doping, match-fixing allegations and previous drinking problems, the latest of which saw him in court in a case that has still to be decided.

In other words, Gibbs, as is the title of this column, has crossed the line just once too many times.

Happily for the Proteas, Durban's Hashim Amla has taken his chance and now has an average of 52,57 in 10 one-day internationals and has, in a short space of time, made the transition from a dogged and reliable No 3 Test batsman to an adventurous and wristy ODI opener who can find the gaps and play shots to all parts of the ground.

Now we all know about Gibbs's solid record in the years he has played for his country, but I go back to my original question.

Just how much more rope can Cricket South Africa give him before he hangs himself once and for all?

Discipline

My view is that Gibbs should not be chosen for the tour to Australia because his lack of discipline once again undermines the team and gives credence to the feeling that perhaps he thinks he is bigger than the game.

We all know about his personal battles and messy divorce which might have caused him to hit the bottle the day before the match.

Sorry, not good enough. Many of us have been through divorces, have had financial problems and other pressures of modern day living but we do not arrive at work drunk, which is more or less what the Proteas' management were saying when they sent Gibbs home.

I would rather have a lesser talent like Amla (and he is the first to admit that if it was a choice between him and Gibbs he would choose his team-mate) in my side, than rely on Gibbs. Yes, he has been blessed with amazing talent, but even that has waned too often in recent years and his foot-work at the crease, his reflexes and form are just not consistent enough.

Amla, on the other hand, is the antithesis of Gibbs.

After a bad start to his career where his technique was questioned and his averages were low, he has knuckled down and become one of the stars of the side, without any fuss.

His general demeanour and enthusiasm and dedication are also pluses for the Proteas and he has been a credit to the game.

For all Gibbs's flashes of brilliance and match-winning innings, he has let himself and his country down with his off-the-field shenanigans.

Give me Amla any day. He will always give 100 percent and that is what will be needed when we take on the Australians.

Believe me, they are not going to take getting beaten by India very well and I expect them to come out firing in the Tests and ODI matches Down Under and here in South Africa early next year.