Former South Africa opener Herschelle Gibbs has been appointed as the new head for Karachi Kings, reigning champions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the franchise announced on Saturday.

In a statement, Karachi Kings said Gibbs had been signed on for his “aggressive batting style and brilliant fielding” in a move that was “sure to strengthen the strong management core at the team under Wasim Akram”.

The appointment comes after former Australia batsman and the Kings’ head coach Dean Jones had died of a cardiac arrest in September 2020.

“It was always going to be tough filling in Deano’s shoes, but Gibbsy has always been a great student of the modern game and with his growing exposure in coaching roles, I reckon he is a great fit at our team to continue our winning ways,” the press release quoted Wasim Akram as saying.

Meanwhile, Gibbs said he was “excited” for his new role and felt that with the “chemistry the Kings franchise has fostered over the years under great leadership and a wonderful bunch of guys who have cracked the winning formula this season, this is a great time to join them and hopefully keep up the momentum they’ve got going”.

“I look forward to working with the great ‘Waz’ [Akram] and helping the team grow and build together this season.”

Gibbs represented South Africa for 15 years, debuting in 1996, coincidentally playing his final international match in a T20 against Pakistan in 2010.

After his international career, he played in various international T20 leagues, most recently coaching at the Afghan Shpageeza League and the recently concluded Lanka Premier League.