Tristan Stubbs will be backed as South Africa's Test No. 3 for both his batting approach and intimidating presence, according to Test coach Shukri Conrad . As the sole selector of both the squad and the playing XI, Conrad has made the decision to give Stubbs a "good run" in the position despite his inexperience, because he sees something special in him.
"Technique is obviously a big factor because you're going to be facing the new ball the bulk of the time," Conrad said from Trinidad, where South Africa will play West Indies in the first of their two Tests from Wednesday. "And he's quite an imposing character, a big, strong, strapping boy, and I quite like that. I like the fact that at the top of the order, there are quite imposing guys; guys that have got a good aura about them and strong body language."
South Africa's top three for this series will be: Aiden Markram , who stands at 1.85 metres, is an Under-19 World Cup-winning captain and the only national men's captain to qualify for a senior World Cup final; Tony de Zorzi , a bubbly character who is not afraid to speak his mind, especially on social media; and Stubbs, who is 1.84 metres tall and broad-shouldered.
Conrad didn't elaborate on what the advantage of three physically big players would be, but it may have something to do with who they are being followed by: their diminutive captain Temba Bavuma , who is 1.62 metres tall and has not batted in a Test match since March last year.
Bavuma was forced to withdraw from the Boxing Day Test against India with a left hamstring injury, a month after he suffered a right hamstring injury at the ODI World Cup. He is fully rehabilitated after a lengthy off-season and last week said he was ready to take on the responsibility of the No. 4 spot, as South Africa's most experienced batter and one of only three squad members (Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj are the others) with more than 50 Test caps. That doesn't mean Bavuma needs protecting, but that he needs players who can bat around him and lay a foundation. And Stubbs has been identified as someone who can do that. "His psyche and his technique speak to someone who will do that job really well," Conrad said. "We've got a good one for the future of South African cricket."
The numbers suggest Conrad is on to something. Stubbs has played 18 first-class matches over his career and has an eye-catching average of 50.20. His most notable long-format innings was the 302* he scored against (now-relegated) Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) Inland in Pietermaritzburg last February. Although the opposition was the weakest in South Africa's top tier, Stubbs scored his runs quickly, off 372 balls, to demonstrate his dominance. His first red-ball hundred also came against KZN Inland, in February 2020, in the second tier of South Africa's domestic system. Stubbs was playing for Eastern Province (EP) and batting at No. 7 when he hit a 232-ball 105 to take EP from 135 for 5 to 327 for 8, and give them a first-innings lead. He has three more centuries in the format, the most high profile being 117 for South Africa A against Sri Lanka A in Colombo last year, when Conrad first decided to try him up the order.
It was on that tour that Stubbs was identified as a possible long-term pick for the No. 3 spot and Conrad has all but committed to giving him the rest of this World Test Championship cycle to see if he can make the spot his own. "I'm going to give him a good run," Conrad said, "I'd be surprised if we didn't back him throughout the rest of the cycle. I'm pretty confident Tristan is going to come good."
South Africa play eight more Tests in this cycle - two in the West Indies, two in Bangladesh and two at home against each of Sri Lanka and Pakistan - which will give Stubbs a variety of oppositions and conditions to adjust to. He has received no special instructions or expectations from Conrad other than to express himself in the way he feels most comfortable and believes that the results will come. "We do who we are," Conrad said. "It's become quite a cliche now being the best version of yourself, but…"
But that's the mantra Conrad is adopting, albeit not in catch phrases. "Whatever that identity is, you couple that with the conditions that you're confronting and then marry that with what the skills the opposition bring, but ultimately, you still operate with your own identity in mind. That's the only messaging I've given Tristan and the rest of the batters."
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