When you think of the West Indies, you think of laid back people.
You think Jamaican Rum and beautiful beaches.
Now if you’ve never been to the islands, you just have to take a look at Proteas coach Ottis Gibson to see what it’s all about.
He embodies the calming effect the West Indies brings to mind.
Gibson looked nothing like a man with the weight of the country’s expectation on his shoulders when he met with journalists at a hotel in Cape Town earlier in the week.
With his team jetting off to England on Sunday in search of their first ever World Cup crown, Gibson sat back in his chair and answered his questions in typical West Indian style - with a smile.
Even when asked about the Proteas’ dismal record at past events, he could laugh and then deliver a punching message, we’re not going to talk about that.
NO PRESSURE: Faf du Plessis and pals celebrate. Photo: Backpagepix.
Getting the job done while enjoying yourself is what he’s all about.
And this is perhaps the reason why Gibson was appointed coach of the Proteas team 18 months ago.
Looking at him you get the feeling that “he’s got this”.
Of the mammoth task that rests on their shoulder at the tournament, the 50-year-old says: “It’s my first time with the team and we’ve been using the same language in the last 18 months since I’ve been here and it’s a message of positivity.
“We’re not taking the past with us to this World Cup.
“It’s a new adventure for us - it’s a lot of guys’s first one and we want to make it special for them.
“We don’t want to place too much emphasis on the fact that it’s a World Cup - you play the same cricket, the same cricket you played against Sri Lanka and Pakistan before that.
“Once we stay calm and play the sort of cricket we’ve played for the last while, then we feel we’ve got an opportunity to do well.
“We need to make it special for every person; we’re going to play some cricket, we’re going to have some fun and enjoy the journey.”
The big question is; is Gibson the coach to finally steer SA to World Cup glory?