The return of Herschelle Gibbs to the Proteas one-day set-up may be seen as a backward step by some, but iafrica.com?s Tim Human makes a case for the enigmatic opener.

At 36 years old, it was somewhat surprising that Gibbs was brought back into the picture when Jacques Kallis was ruled out with a cracked rib, and critics are lining up to take a shot at the inconsistent and under-performing Cobras hero.

Inconsistent? True. Under-performing? Usually. Brilliant? I think so.

I will undoubtedly cop some abuse for this stance, but I could not help but crack a smile when I heard that ?Hersch? would be unleashed against the English this summer.

Selection, on the face of it, should be a logical process based on form and reputation, but every so often there comes a player that challenges the logical norms of objective comparison. Shahid ?boom boom? Afridi is one, Gibbs, to my mind, is another.

He is arguably the most talented batsman South Africa has produced since re-admission, capable of producing shots that defy belief and wondrous innings? that will live long in the memory of every cricket fan who witnessed them (remember the 438 game?)

Had he been blessed with a touch more discipline and mental aptitude, he could have easily been mentioned in the same breath as Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara among the greats of the modern game.

But that?s what has made him so frustrating to support; too often succumbing to brain-lapses that cut short an ominous start. How many times have we seen him make forty with astonishing ease, only to hole out when he begins to dominate?

Gibbs has played for years under the threat of being axed, but every time he seemed to produce a knock that reminded everyone of his ridiculous talent. It seemed that his inconsistency had finally outgrown his reputation and the selectors, somewhat begrudgingly, gave him the chop.

Mike Procter though, was never entirely convincing in his reasoning and you always got the feeling that the axing was intended more as a wake up-call to the sleeping giant in Gibbs, rather than a final nail in his international coffin. Hashim Amla and Alviro Petersen are not long-term solutions in the Proteas ODI team and were picked as stop-gaps in the hope that Gibbs would force his way back into contention.

In true Gibbs style he went back and smashed a run-a-ball ton for the Cobras which got him a call into the ?A? side and an unfortunate injury to his long-term teammate JK has rushed him back into the national fold.

Pundits countrywide are willing the ?over-the hill? star to fail, bemoaning the lack of foresight from the selection panel. But obviously the selectors want him there and are willing to sacrifice a bit of consistency for the possibility of his return to form.

At his best, there is simply no-one better to watch and I would be willing to bet that Andrew Strauss and co. would have much rather seen a more conservative up-an-comer replace Kallis than to take an opponent of Gibbs unpredictable genius.

Gibbs is at his best when his back is to the wall and has the rare ability to not only change games, but entire series, if he fires.

Of course, it is a risk picking someone who is either going to be a great success or a spectacular failure and logic tells us he will fail, but again, logic isn?t part of the Gibbs armoury.

Make no mistake, this is the last chance saloon for Gibbs ? and that?s just how he likes it.