Proteas batter Tristan Stubbs seems to have turned his form around after working tirelessly on his defence as a top-order batter.
Stubbs has been struggling in Test match cricket in the past year. However, it is natural for a top talent to come through the ranks, enjoy some success in their first year of Test cricket, before having a difficult second year when opposition Test bowlers have studied and figured them out.
In Stubbs’ case, his maiden century in Bangladesh and the one here at home at Kingsmead Stadium showed the talent of the youngster. However, after those two big knocks, the 25-year-old has been able to cross the half-century mark only once, with his 70-odd in Pakistan last month.
Having been moved up and down the order in his young Test career, Stubbs’ form has certainly taken a hit. On Saturday, the right-handed batter scored a defiant 112-ball 49 in South Africa’s first innings during the second Test against India in Guwahati. His knock was the top score from a Proteas batter on the day, as he demonstrated a masterclass of having a solid defence in Test cricket.
The youngster seems to have learnt a lot about his technique and the importance of having a solid defence, as he was moved up the batting order to number three while Wiaan Mulder was moved down to number six in the second Test at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati.
“It’s not the easiest moving around, but whatever the coach asks, I’m just happy to be in the team,” Stubbs said.
“I’ve worked a lot on my defence. I had to, coming in as a white-ball player and then being asked to bat at three, so I grafted hard on the defence. I find three, you can afford to be a little bit more defensive, where five and six, you have to come in and take the game on a bit earlier.”
Having tasted being the middle-order batter and batting in the top three, Stubbs has an acute understanding of what it takes to be successful in both positions. The 25-year-old says the main difference between the two batting positions is the mental approach.
Having been most successful batting at number three, Stubbs seems to enjoy having ample time to get himself in, while batting in the middle order often rushes him to shift gears almost immediately.
“(The difference between number three and six is) not so much technical, but I think more mental,” he said. “You probably need to be tightening your game plan, especially if it’s doing a bit up front.”
Stubbs has played 13 Test matches thus far and averages 28 with two centuries and two fifties. At 25 years of age, the right-handed batter forms an important part of the future of the Proteas Test team, especially with the likes of Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma in their early to mid-30s.
Should the young batter successfully turn his Test form around, the Proteas have a better chance of defending their World Test Championship title in the ongoing cycle.
