Photo Credit: SA20 League
When English all-rounder Ben Stokes toured South Africa for the first time he rented a flashy multi-million rand sports car to drive around Cape Town.
The travelling English journalists put it down to the strength of the Pound and the fact that Stokes was after all only just 24 at the time. He was allowed to have some fun.
Tristan Stubbs turned 24 last week. But the likelihood of the Proteas batter pulling off a similar stunt is virtually impossible – even though he is certainly has the means after securing the highest bid of R9.2-million at the inaugural Betway SA20 auction.
Stubbs’ idea of good vibes would rather be to jump into a VW Combi, load up some of his Nelson Mandela University mates, and some surfboards before trudging along the East Coast in search of the ultimate wave.
Or in fact live out his childhood dream by dancing in his orange kit to the tunes of the St George’s Park band whilst playing for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in SA20.
“SA20 is the best month of the year!” Stubbs said from Trinidad and Tobago this week.
“You are playing at home, full crowds, travelling your country. It’s so much fun.
“That’s definitely the best month of the year.
“Playing at St George’s was a dream of mine, and you’re getting to do it five times in January, so I’m just enjoying it.”
When Stubbs plays with a smile on his face, that’s often when he delivers his best performances. Unfortunately it was not always present in Betway SA20 Season 1 when the record price tag seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders.
Just 21 at the time, Stubbs felt that he needed to shoot the lights out every time he walked to the crease.
This self-induced pressure along with all the media hype saw Stubbs stumble through the Sunrisers’ campaign despite the Eastern Cape marching to the championship title.
Having now had the benefit of that experience, Stubbs entered Season 2 with a refreshing new mindset.
He immediately reaped the rewards with the dynamic batter finishing the sophomore season as the Sunrisers’ leading run-getter with 301 runs at an average of 60.20 and strike-rate of 168.15. It played a major role in the Sunrisers claiming back-to-back titles.
From thereon Stubbs simply elevated his game to the next level. He followed it up with a breakout IPL season after moving from the Mumbai Indians to the Delhi Capitals.
Stubbs played 14 matches for the Capitals, struck 378 runs at an average of 54.0 with the mind-boggling strike-rate of 190.91.
He also topped the Proteas’ averages with 33.0 on spicy pitches at the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean.
“I decided to adopt [a mindset of] enjoying what I am doing out there,” Stubbs said. “We played a T20 match against India at St George’s Park last year.
“Everything I did before that game, whether I was playing SA20, IPL, or any big game, my mind was just going crazy.
“Since then, I’ve just gone about it as though I was playing a Warriors game, because then I feel calm at the crease.
“I think I am also just a bit older. I think when I first played (for South Africa), I’d only played like 20 games. I knew nothing about my game. I think the biggest thing over the last year has been my mental side while batting.”
Fresh off also bringing up his maiden Test half-century in Trinidad just a fortnight ago, Stubbs is certainly looking forward to facing off against a strong West Indies team in the three-match T20I series that starts on Friday at the Brian Lara Stadium.
“I think it’s going to be a big series. They look like a seriously strong side, whereas we’ve got a very fresh side, so I think it’s going to be a good challenge for all of us,” he said.
“I think if the wickets are good it could be a really good series for everyone. It’s not going to be easy for us, especially playing away.
“They’ve got some really big names who are in form, so I think if we win this series we can take a lot from it.”
FULL PROTEAS T20I SQUAD VS WEST INDIES
Aiden Markram (Sunrisers Eastern Cape, captain), Ottneil Baartman (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Nandre Burger (Joburg Super Kings), Donovan Ferreira (Joburg Super Kings), Bjorn Fortuin (Paarl Royals), Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Kwena Maphaka (Paarl Royals), Wiaan Mulder (Durban’s Super Giants), Lungi Ngidi (Paarl Royals), Ryan Rickelton (MI Cape Town), Jason Smith (Durban’s Super Giants), Tristan Stubbs (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Rassie van der Dussen (MI Cape Town) and Lizaad Williams (Joburg Super Kings).
Friday, 23 August at 9pm
West Indies vs South Africa – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago
Name of Author: SA20 League
SA20, officially known as the Betway SA20 for sponsorship reasons, is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA). First held in the 2023 season, the league features six city-based teams. Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the first two editions of the tournament.
