Proteas can put Amla and AB behind them: season of Stubbs is upon us

Tristan Stubbs is big, in presence and frequently of late, deed. 

He covers a lot of ground when he fields — whether standing in the slips, or patrolling the outfield. With the bat he stands tall, has a long stride when he transfers weight onto the front foot, and off the back foot his height and power allow him to lift the ball over the overs and even long off, effortlessly. 

As the Proteas now finally look ahead and are able to leave the era of Amla and De Villiers behind, the 24-year-old Stubbs seems primed to ascend to the position of South Africa’s next big batting star. 

He has quickly become comfortable with his growing status, showing maturity with his decisions on the field, as he has with those he makes off it. He resisted the temptation to seek big dollar contracts — which he could quite comfortably earn — on the T20 League circuit and instead restricted himself to playing the SA20 and IPL. 

To be sure, he’s earning princely sums in those competitions — more than R9m in the SA20 and more than R20m for Delhi in the IPL — but he’s also determined to prove himself as an international cricketer. 

Shukri Conrad, as blunt as they come in South African cricket, has praised Stubbs’ work ethic, and his belief in the strapping right hander’s ability is seen in his backing of Stubbs to bat at No 3 for the Test team — the position historically held by a side’s best batter. 

“It is not going to be easy (to bat at No 3), but I really want it, I’m up for the challenge and I’m putting in the graft to try and give myself the best chance,” he said after making his second Test century in Durban last week. 

At the start of 2021 — when the world was still mostly in lock down — Robin Peterson, the Warriors coach, heard Stubbs before he saw him. That is, he heard the sound of the ball as it pinged off Stubbs’ bat during a net session and having watched for 15 minutes, picked him for the T20 Challenge competition that was going to take place in a ‘bio bubble’ in Durban in February of that year.

Stubbs’ world changed when he faced a star-studded Titans line-up in that tournament. He came to the crease at 33/4 in the seventh over, struck the second ball he faced from Simon Harmer for four, he clubbed another off Lungi Ngidi and then a six into the stands off Tabraiz Shamsi. 

He finished with 44 off 31 balls, his team reaching 157, enough to beat a Titans team that also contained Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and Chris Morris by 43 runs. 

By the time of the next T20 Challenge, also held in a bio bubble — though not as strict as the year before — in his hometown Gqeberha, Stubbs was the name on the lips of most local aficionados. 

A call up to the Proteas followed, there was a ridiculous catch in Southampton to help win a T20 series against England and he went to Australia for the T20 World Cup,

He returns to Gqeberha this week, with a burgeoning reputation. Not just a white ball batter, but a devastating performer across all formats, with a chance to end a season, firmly stencilled in along with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja, as one of the sport’s best prospects.

He’s drawn comparison with a great from that previous era too. “He reminds me of batting with AB,” said Temba Bavuma. That may have been a case of ‘recency bias’, given the Proteas captain had just shared a 249-run partnership with Stubbs, that was instrumental in South Africa winning the first Test against Sri Lanka.

“(AB) was always intense, always reminding you of what your plans are, making sure you are in tune with what you are doing. I really enjoyed batting with Tristan.”

Stubbs’ enthusiasm is infectious, even if the exuberance from his celebrations could cause physical harm. A return to his hometown, while he is in a rich vein of form, is only going to see the dial turned up on all that excitement.

“The crowd was awesome when we played there (against India). I’ve played a lot at that ground, I really love playing there. I can’t wait to go in there with some good form,” said Stubbs.