Gibson faces tough decision

Ottis Gibson has much to ponder over his future plans in cricket © Getty Images

Ottis Gibson has revealed the dilemma he is facing in the coming months as he decides whether to embark on a full-time coaching career or continue playing with Durham.

The 38-year-old seamer has just enjoyed the best season of his career, claiming 80 wickets in the LV County Championship for Durham to win the Professional Cricketers’ Association Player-of-the-Year award and has not surprisingly been offered a contract to return next summer.

Gibson is currently filling in as England bowling coach, a role he is undertaking for the five-match one-day tour of Sri Lanka following Allan Donald’s decision to reject the opportunity.

Barbados-born Gibson is also waiting on an application he submitted two months ago for the vacant position as West Indies head coach.

Gibson has a lot to consider before making his decision but the next few weeks with England on both this trip and the Test tour before Christmas may go some way to making the decision for him.

“I’ve been involved with Peter Moores before at the National Academy and I’m delighted that he’s asked me to come out and be involved again - at the moment this is where it is for me, right here,” he explained.

“You do what’s available to you and that, for me, is this. It is what is available to me and this what I’m really enjoying.

“This opportunity is not one you’re going to get very often and I’m loving it at the moment.”

Gibson has just had the best season of his professional career © Getty Images

But there is also part of him who may consider another season of county cricket, although he admitted: “I’m going to be a year older next year, the body is going to be a little more tired so I’ll cross all those bridges when I come to them.

“I’ve spent the last two years working with Peter Moores. Last winter I was in Australia with him with the National Academy so he knows me quite well.

"He knows how I operate, I know how he operates and how he likes things done.”

His future has been put on hold for the time being as he works with England’s best young bowlers to try and input his knowledge of slower balls, which Sri Lanka’s seamers used to great effect during the 119-run victory in the opener to the five-match one-day series.

Gibson was taught how to bowl the slower ball by Franklyn Stephenson while they played club cricket together in Barbados many years ago and admits England’s attack will have to learn fast if they are to bridge the skills gap currently on show between the two sides.

Gibson said: “It’s a big ask, but this is international cricket. You are seen as the best bowlers in the country and learning has to take place quite quickly.

“You haven’t got six months of a county season to learn and the guys know that. What I’ve found since I’ve been here is that they’ve been very receptive to new ideas and quite willing to try things out.”