NEW DELHI: Tristan Stubbs, who will celebrate his 24th birthday next week, is set to be given a prolonged opportunity to establish himself at the crucial No. 3 position in South Africa‘s Test batting order. This decision was confirmed by coach Shukri Conrad on Tuesday, ahead of the team’s first Test against the West Indies in Port of Spain.
Despite Stubbs’ reputation as a dynamic and hard-hitting batsman in the Twenty20 format, he will now be entrusted with a significant role in the Test side.
His sole Test appearance came against India in January, where he scored a mere four runs across two innings, resulting in a seven-wicket defeat for South Africa.
The Proteas have faced challenges in finding a reliable and consistent batsman to occupy the No. 3 spot in recent times. By giving Stubbs an extended run in this position, the team management hopes to address this issue and provide the young player with an opportunity to prove his worth in the longest format of the game.
“Tristan’s going to be given a good run in that position,” Conrad said.
“I think his psyche and technique speaks to someone who will do that job really well. And I’m going to give him a good run. I’d be surprised if we didn’t back him throughout the rest of the (test) cycle,” he told a virtual press conference, as quoted by Reuters.
“I’m very confident that he’s going to come good, whether it’s in the first test match, or the second, but I think we’ve got a good one for the future in the South African set up.”
Conrad cited Stubbs’ technique as the primary reason for giving him the job, with his imposing size also playing a significant role.
“Because you’re going to be facing the new ball the bulk of the time, I know Tristan ticks all of those boxes. He’s also quite an imposing character, a big strong boy, strapping boy. And I quite like that. I like the fact that at the top of the order we will imposing guys who have got a good aura about them with strong body language.
“But ultimately, the proof is going be in the tasting. But yeah, I’m going down this road, and I’m confident we begin to reap the rewards.”
South Africa will play their first Test series since sending a second-string side to New Zealand in February, where they suffered two heavy defeats. They will face a Windies team that lost a three-Test series in England last month.
“They’ve got three tough test matches under the belt and they’ll come into this series at home taking a lot of confidence from several good performances,” Conrad said of the opposition.
Despite Stubbs’ reputation as a dynamic and hard-hitting batsman in the Twenty20 format, he will now be entrusted with a significant role in the Test side.
His sole Test appearance came against India in January, where he scored a mere four runs across two innings, resulting in a seven-wicket defeat for South Africa.
The Proteas have faced challenges in finding a reliable and consistent batsman to occupy the No. 3 spot in recent times. By giving Stubbs an extended run in this position, the team management hopes to address this issue and provide the young player with an opportunity to prove his worth in the longest format of the game.
“Tristan’s going to be given a good run in that position,” Conrad said.
“I think his psyche and technique speaks to someone who will do that job really well. And I’m going to give him a good run. I’d be surprised if we didn’t back him throughout the rest of the (test) cycle,” he told a virtual press conference, as quoted by Reuters.
“I’m very confident that he’s going to come good, whether it’s in the first test match, or the second, but I think we’ve got a good one for the future in the South African set up.”
Conrad cited Stubbs’ technique as the primary reason for giving him the job, with his imposing size also playing a significant role.
“Because you’re going to be facing the new ball the bulk of the time, I know Tristan ticks all of those boxes. He’s also quite an imposing character, a big strong boy, strapping boy. And I quite like that. I like the fact that at the top of the order we will imposing guys who have got a good aura about them with strong body language.
“But ultimately, the proof is going be in the tasting. But yeah, I’m going down this road, and I’m confident we begin to reap the rewards.”
South Africa will play their first Test series since sending a second-string side to New Zealand in February, where they suffered two heavy defeats. They will face a Windies team that lost a three-Test series in England last month.
“They’ve got three tough test matches under the belt and they’ll come into this series at home taking a lot of confidence from several good performances,” Conrad said of the opposition.