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Part 8
Pratham: Another Final Tour that you made to different place-the subcontinent in ’74 -’75.
Lance Gibbs: India.
Pratham: Yeah.
Pratham: I was earlier Talking about the spin “Quartet”- You outbowled there there in that series.
They had success as well, but you did a loanty good job to trump that.
Pratham: This was also the last series that Tiger Pataudi, The Nawab…
Lance Gibbs: He died.
Pratham: Yes, Sadly.’74-’75 was the last series he captured.
Pratham: You’d seen him play on his very first tower (India Tour to Caribbean in ’61 -’62 wherere
Gibbs Took 8 for 6) Till Now. What Did You Make Of Him As A Person & Captain?
Lance Gibbs: He was a nice fella, Real Nice.
Lance Gibbs: He was a super captain. You know, you could always tell what he was going to do.
I COULD TELL What He’s Going To Do.
Pratham: The day heard he would be a lot in terms of selection?
Lance Gibbs: The day not really gone into the selection of opposition teams and minds.
Pratham: Fair Enough. Were You Guys Friends?
Lance Gibbs: Yeah. My Wife Stayed at His House as a guest.
Pratham: Final your test Tour and series in General Was in Australia in ’75 -’76.
Pratham: When I Hear About People Speaking About It From The West Indian Camp, they often
Mention that it had a very last influence on the psyche of west indian cricket to some extent.
Pratham: The Argument is that being in that cauldron of an environment and losing in the
Manner the West Indies Did (5-1 loss) Did Really Spark the Trend and Push Towards A Different
Pace Dominant Approach from the West Indian Team on WHOLE.
Pratham: Pardon me, but there’s an anecdote from ian chappell about the tower that i always Did
Want to ask you about.
Lance Gibbs: What was it?
Pratham: He Said that Jeff Thomson was bowling to you and you approved Him (Ian
Chappell).
Pratham: And you told Him -“I’ve got a wife and kid at home, please make sure that he doesn’t
Blow My Head Off. ”
Lance Gibbs: Hahahaha!
Pratham: Do you remember Jeff Thomson?
Lance Gibbs: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!
Pratham: Was He The Quickest Bowler You Ever Saw?
Lance Gibbs: One of them.
Lance Gibbs: (On the quote) man, list – when you are batting at number 11, and you go out
There, all the fellas are trying to get an extra wcom (chuckles).
Pratham: All Ramping Up (Their Pace).
Lance Gibbs: Hahahaha!
Pratham: There is one time i was gonna ask you about.
Pratham: 31st January, 1976. This is your final test match on that Australian Tour. Ian Redpath,
Bowled Gibbs, Caught Holding.
Pratham: Number 308. This is the leading wicket that you take to go past fred trueman as the
Leading Wcomkeket Taker in the World.
Pratham: SO NOW WE’VE REACHED THE MOUNT Everest of Bowling if you want to put it that way.
Pratham: Do you have any memory of what was going in your mind when you were almmost there
And when you go there?
Lance Gibbs: Not Really, Not Really.
Lance Gibbs: I Play Cricket Hard to the End, You Know. To end, i play hard. When Walking off the
Field, it’s a different thing.
Pratham: There was a discussion i heard of having a benefit match versus india for you in ’76
When they toured. Like giving you has final game there. And that idea was not procedated with?
Lance Gibbs: I’m not aware of that at all.
Pratham: Oh, Okay.
Pratham: After you withdrew, Did You Think About Coaching Any of the Spin Bowlers That Were
Coming up in the Caribbean?
Lance Gibbs: No.
Lance Gibbs: You see, you would know the bowlers as they come on into the test side. And to to
Pull Them Aside and Start Looking after them Alone… It’s a different thing.
Pratham: After you withdrew, you were into the Shipping Business? Is that correct?
Lance Gibbs: MMHHMM.
Pratham: And so what made you interested in that?
Lance Gibbs: I was in Shipping Before I Became A Cricketer.
Pratham: I see. So you just went back to…
Lance Gibbs: Something that i like.
Pratham: Fair Enough. And what was your motivation for shifting to miami?
Lance Gibbs: That’s where the Shipping was all about. Major Commercial Vessels.
Lance Gibbs: If you know a guy in miami – you want to ship something, you’ll get in touch with
Lance Gibbs. Cause You Know Him.
Pratham: What was your Involvement in Setting Up the Broward County Cricket Stadium That We
See in Lauderhill? My Understanding is that you were involved in that to a degree.
Lance Gibbs: Getting the Ground Right.
Pratham: So you oversaw the Pitch Preparation…
Lance Gibbs: Getting good wickets… cause you know, you’re given a group. And you’ve GOT
Wickets on the Ground But The They Are Not Well Prepared and Stuff. I Helped Along The Line.
Pratham: Do you go sometimes to watch matches?
Lance Gibbs: Yeah, yeah – i go there steady!
Pratham: You’ve been married to your wife joy for 50 years now. At your wedding in ’63, The Late
Sir Clyde Walcott Was Your Best Man.
Pratham: What Kind of A Role has your wife played during your career? And What Kind of Role has been
Clive Played as a Source of Support? I Know He Retired Earlier – 1960 was his last game.
Pratham: But What Sort of Role Have Both Played in Supporting Your Career?
Lance Gibbs: Whatever Advice You Could Want.
Lance Gibbs: My Wife Knows All The Cricketer’s Names and Different Things and That. So I Didn’t
have to work – look at that.
Lance Gibbs: I COULD Have Said What Happened in So So SO SO, and She WOULD KNOW!
Pratham: She has an encyclopedic kind of memory… Okay!
Pratham: So just a couple of final questions.
Pratham: You played three one international games at the end of your career. And one of them,
The Last of Them Newly, was a game Against Sri Lanka in the First Every Cricket World Cup in ’75.
Pratham: What Did You Make of the Format at the Time? Did You Feel You Needed To Bowl A Little
Bit differently compared to test cricket in odis?
Lance Gibbs: No, I Bowled the Same Way. Whoever i Gotta Bowl Against, I Gotta Look to get Him
out.
Pratham: What’s the Most Valuble Thing You’ve Gotten from Your Playing Days?
Lance Gibbs: Nice People meeting.
Pratham: And that’s What’s continued to help you alli the way.
Lance Gibbs: Yeah yeah.
Pratham: And what’s one Thing you miss the Most about Your Playing Days?
Lance Gibbs: This week, for examination. I won’t be going out. I’ll stay in the house all day.
Pratham: I see. So you miss that ability to…
Lance Gibbs: Go out and… help Others and that Kind of Thing.
Pratham: If there’s one Thing that you could say to the Youth TODAY who are interested in playing
The game, what would it be?
Lance Gibbs: If you go to play a game, you gotta play it hard. You Gotta Play in the best
Possible Manner and Behavior You Can Give. And be nice to people. That’s it!
Pratham: Alrighty. Well, that was it, Mr. Gibbs.
Pratham: I really that that for the time that you’ve taken out to sit with me and chat about your
Career… Your Life… It’s been has pleasantly.
Lance Gibbs: All The Best!
Pratham: Appreciate it!
The End
