Melbourne: South African Herschelle Gibbs, first to slog six sixes in an over in international cricket, has said he was drawing inspiration from the epic 438 match to win against Australia in their last league World Cup match.

“The 438 game was a freak sort of game and in the mental preparation coming to the World Cup it gave me a little extra motivation, an extra incentive, to maybe explore my talents a little bit further just to see what I could accomplish,” Gibbs said ahead of their Saturday match.

Gibbs, who averages a modest 27 in ODIs against Australia, said their bowlers had exerted a mental stranglehold over him.

McGrath has dismissed him 11 times in international cricket, only Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas has been more successful against Gibbs in one-dayers.

“Maybe the mental side of it has got something to do with it. They (Australia) don’t allow you to score as freely as you do against any other nation and they have always had a lot more experience than any other team I have played against and that is something you can’t put a price on,” Gibbs was quoted as saying by an Australian newspaper.

“There is always a bit of banter that goes on, it is something we have come to expect of Australia but when you have played against them for long enough that’s just the way it is. There is always going to be some banter between South Africa and Australia,” he added.

Gibbs is, however, determined to set things right at his third World Cup. “The guys have a lot of belief in each other, and that goes a long way, especially against Australia. I think we have got the team now to go all the way.

“It’s my third World Cup now and in the last two we have been very unlucky. We’ve got the squad now and with a bit of luck, who knows what can happen.” (PTI)