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A month back the only thing on Tristan Stubbs’ mind was steering Sunrisers Eastern Cape through the SA20 knockout rounds. The 24-year-old already knew, after December’s tour of India, that he was off South Africa’s provisional list for the T20 World Cup, so he parked the thought and got on with the day job.
“Got over it quickly,” he shrugged last week in Ahmedabad, shortly after South Africa eased past Canada in their group opener. “I kept my mind busy,” he added, pointing to captaincy duties, selection chats and his own lean return – just 28 runs in the first five league games.
The change came almost out of nowhere. Just before the SA20 play-offs head coach Shukri Conrad phoned: Stubbs was back in the World Cup plans, provided the form – and the hamstring – held. He barely had time to process the news. Two days later he struck an unbeaten 63 (52 balls) in the final, lifted the trophy in Gqeberha, led the open-top bus parade and then jumped on a flight to join the national squad.
“It’s a bit crazy,” he smiled. The schedule has stayed that way: home T20s against West Indies, straight into India for warm-ups. There, a brisk 45 off 21 balls against the hosts nudged him past Jason Smith for the extra batting slot. Another 34 not out from 19 against Canada has probably nailed it down.
It is not just the runs, but the manner. While Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis both holed out early, Stubbs walked in, assessed the surface and went through the gears – the sort of finishing South Africa have lacked since David Miller’s workload went through the roof.
“I’ve always been comfortable batting No. 5 and 6 at the death. I do it here in the IPL, so I’m pretty confident in that role,” he reminded reporters. That position demands a cool head. The game can look deceptively simple from the sofa; out in the middle you are juggling required rates, match-ups, wind direction and whether the ball has gone soft. Stubbs seems to enjoy the maths.
He admits the journey has been anything but linear. “At first, you come out, you score a bit and then you try and hit every ball for six and that fails. Then you try and find a happy medium but then playing a lot of Test cricket, you focus solely on that,” he said. “Now, there’s six to eight months where it’s just T20 cricket. I don’t have to worry about my front shoulder or if I’m going to get nicked off. It’s been nice. I’ve been in a rhythm of playing T20 cricket.”
The rhythm also involves accepting a lower berth than the No.3 slot trialled in the Test side. That promotion never convinced him. “Often I’ve struggled when I’ve gone up the order. I’ve played that role where if you lose wicket…” he tailed off, shaking his head. Finishing, he implies, is simpler: fewer variables, more clarity.
Coaches back the switch. Bowling consultant Rory Kleinveldt, who worked with Stubbs at Eastern Cape, reckons the right-hander’s real value is “30 off 12 when everyone else is paddling”. Analyst Prasanna Agoram points to a strike rate over 170 in overs 16-20 across domestic T20s – small sample, but persuasive.
The next test arrives on Thursday against an unpredictable Afghanistan, whose four spinners could drag the scoring rate into treacle. Stubbs is unfazed. “If it grips, it grips. You still have to back yourself to clear fifty-odd metres,” he said.
South Africa’s broader batting puzzle remains: how to balance Quinton de Kock’s explosiveness, Heinrich Klaasen’s power and Miller’s experience without leaving too many overs for the bowlers to chew through. Stubbs, though, appears to have solved his own. Rejection in December now feels like a footnote.
And if the call comes again – eight needed off four, lights blazing, palms sweating – he sounds ready. “I’m here now. Might as well go full on.”
