Stubbs desperate to cement his spot
What kind of batter is Tristan Stubbs?
Prodigiously talented, obviously. The impression for the majority of people who first saw him when he burst onto the scene for the Eastern Province Warriors in the T20 Challenge, hosted in a bio-bubble in Durban five years ago, was of a strapping kid who gave the ball an almighty heave.
Coaches, including Warriors supremo Robin Peterson, knew there was more to him. As did Shukri Conrad. But, for viewers, first impressions last.
“If people really watched in the last two years or so, I think I’ve shown even in T20 cricket that I’m a batter who prides myself in batting in any situation; sometimes that involves hitting sixes, sometimes that involves knocking it around,” Stubbs told the Sunday Times.
It hasn’t helped that in trying to diminish the impact of that first impression, he’s not been able to show off the side of his batting that caused the 26-year-old to describe himself as a “nudger” in high school.
One reason is South Africa hasn’t played much – especially at home – for a large portion of Stubbs’s international career.
Second, he’s played only five of his 14 Tests in South Africa, and ahead of today’s match against Australia at the Wanderers, just two of his 15 ODIs have been on home soil. “I said to our team doctor that this feels like my first summer in South Africa because whenever I’ve played, we always seemed to be playing away.
“It’s been weird. When I started, I probably wasn’t ready. I went through a really good patch, but there wasn’t any international cricket in 2024. Last year, I struggled a bit. This year, I’ve had a good year, but again, there’s been five months with no international cricket [for South Africa].”
If people really watched in the last two years or so, I think I’ve shown even in T20 cricket that I’m a batter who prides myself in batting in any situation; sometimes that involves hitting sixes, sometimes that involves knocking it around.
Which is why the season ahead is exciting for the players but also crucial for Stubbs. Judging him as a Test batter is tough. At face value, an average of 31.62, with two hundreds and three fifties, doesn’t scream: “Pick me.”
However, he made his debut against India on Newlands’ pitch, where the match lasted two days and the venue was rightly sanctioned by the ICC. He’s played 12 Tests overseas, with six of those on the sub-continent, where spinning decks have been prepared.
Then there’s his batting position. He’s come in at No 3 seven times; at No 4 he’s batted on five occasions, twice he’s come in at No 5 and once at No 6.
“It comes with the territory of being seen as someone who can bat anywhere. I’ve never had a set position. Which is fine. That’s part of the job. It’s difficult,” Stubbs said.
He faces a similar dilemma in the ODI team, although in that format, where flexibility is welcomed, he’s batted at No 5 in 11 out of his 15 innings.
“I’d love to cement a place in [the Tests and ODI] sides. All I can do is focus on what I can control, go one game at a time, and if I get a chance, just try and take it,” Stubbs said.
“It’s easier in T20 cricket; batting at 5 or batting at 3; it’s okay doing that in T20 cricket. But if you’re coming in at No 3 in a Test match and a week later, you’re batting at No 5 in a T20, I’ve struggled with that and I don’t quite know if I’ve figured out how best to do those quick turnarounds.
“You almost [have to use] two or three techniques; so you just have to get out in the middle, assess what you need to do… it’s more the changing formats that I find harder than batting in different positions.”
For this summer, with eight Tests and nine ODIs on the calendar, priorities are somewhat split. The Tests are vital, not just in the context of the World Test Championship defence, but also because of their historical significance.
“I’ve not thought about it that hectically – we have a one-day series to win now against Australia, which is all we’re focused on as a team. In a week’s time, we’ll look at the Test series. If you look too far ahead, ja, that’s not a good thing.”
There’s also the competition for places in both teams, also something Stubbs, who didn’t feature in Thursday’s first ODI, admits he doesn’t spend time worrying about. “If I get picked, I’m picked to play my role.”
There are several options for middle-order positions in the Proteas ODI side, with Stubbs’s provincial teammate Matthew Breetzke putting himself at the head of a field that includes David Miller, Dewald Brevis and Rubin Hermann.
“Wherever you play, you’ve got to do a job. That won’t change. Wherever I play, I’m going to do my best, if I get a game, to do what I can to contribute to a win for South Africa. That’s the gist of it,” Stubbs said.
