The two Proteas head coaches Rob Walter and Shukri Conrad are demanding more and more from Tristan Stubbs in the white-ball and red-ball set ups.
Tristan Stubbs has been given a lot more responsibility up the order in the various formats instead of coming in down the order to try and finish games with his powerful hitting at the back end.
It started during the ICC T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies, when Stubbs was promoted up the order on some of the more difficult wickets the Proteas faced in New York’s pop-up stadium.
While Stubbs didn’t quite bat the world alight at the World Cup, he did show some maturity and good technique in the low scoring matches.
After the World Cup, Conrad then decided to promote Stubbs to No 3 in the Proteas Test batting order, a position where Proteas coaches have struggled to find permanent home for someone since Hashim Amla’s retirement in 2019.
After Amla played his final Test match — against Sri Lanka in February 2019 — the Proteas have tried no less than eight players at first drop. That excludes left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who came in as a night watchman in one of the Tests.
Zubayr Hamza, Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Theunis de Bruyn, Heinrich Klaasen, Tony de Zorzi and Raynard van Tonder have all had a crack, but no-one has really performed on a regular basis to make the position their own.
Stubbs didn’t do too badly in the two-Test series against the West Indies, scoring a half-century in the first Test and getting starts in the other three knocks.
Stubbs will now continue in that position in the two-Test series away to Bangladesh, which starts on Monday morning, as Conrad said he was going to give the Knysna-born batter an extended run to give him the required time to settle in the position.
“His selection in that position is a positive one from Shukri, it’s the way he loves to play his cricket,” Proteas batting coach Ashwell Prince told IOL Sport ahead of the Bangladesh tour.
“Stubbs is somebody who can transform the game, he can counter attack when the team is under pressure and someone with a good enough technique to handle the new ball.
“He is the type of player that Shuks likes in that position. Someone who can absorb pressure, but also switch gears and take the game to the opposition’s bowling attack.”
Prince says Stubbs’ mentality, besides his natural stroke-making ability, is something that sets him apart from from his peers and why he is a natural to take on that responsibility at No 3.
The Proteas Men have touched down in Bangladesh, and straight into the field for their first practice session ahead of the two-part Test Series starting 21 October.
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It also helps that he stands a healthy 1.89m tall with broad shoulders and a big reach.
“I’m a big fan of his mentality and that’s why I think he is going to be a big player for South Africa,” Prince said.
“I’m always reminded of the first time I saw him during a Domestic T20 competition in Durban when I was still the Cobras’ coach.
“It was a game against the Titans, when he just went after Tabraiz Shamsi, who at the time was the best T20 bowler in the world.
“The thing that impressed me in that innings was ... here is a guy playing in his first professional season and he is going after the No 1 T20 bowler in the world, hitting him onto the bank a few times.
“It’s that mentality that impresses me. Yes, he is a big guy and an aggressive batsman, but everything is born in his mind.”
Stubbs is going into the Test series fresh off his first international century in the One-Day International series against Ireland. It was a knock in extreme heat in Abu Dhabi and where he showed that ability to soak up pressure and then switch gears to hit the long ball.
“Runs on the board, regardless of what format it is, is important. It will give him a lot of confidence, a first international 100, he will be on a high,” Prince added.
“Yes, it’s Test cricket, but most countries now approach it in a more positive way, such as a Stubbs. They come to play.
“Back in the day it was occupying the crease for as long as possible, wear the bowlers down. But the game has moved on. People are coming in and imposing themselves on the game, and Stubbs is a player that can do that.”
Bangladesh, with its notoriously bad traffic in the capital city Dhaka, is not the most popular destination for touring teams in terms of sightseeing.
The Proteas spent a lot of time in their hotel during their last series in Bangladesh in 2015, after both Test matches drawn because of persistent rain.
The Proteas, who have never lost a Test match against Bangladesh, hammered the hosts 3-0 on their 2008 tour.
Graeme Smith (232) and Neil McKenzie (226) shared a record 415-run stand in the final Test in Chattogram, while Dale Steyn took 14 wickets to win the Test by an innings and 205 runs.
The Proteas Men are on the move! 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦✈️
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) October 15, 2024
Headed to Bangladesh for a Test series showdown! 🏏![CDATA[]]>💥
🗓The two-part test series begins from 21st October to 2nd November.
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“Obviously tours aren’t as long as they used to be. You have one warm-up game when you get there, and then it’s into the business,” Prince said.
“There isn’t as as much of a challenge as it was in the past. When we went to tour, it used to be months man!
“These days the guys are also focussed ... you want to get the best preparation when you get there and then it’s business. Cricket has become business. Back in our day it was about the tour, but now it’s just business.
“In Bangladesh, to drive around in a place like Dhaka takes forever. It’s not easy to get around. So you end up going on more of a business trip than a touring trip.”
Prince revealed that the Proteas had a long meeting with former Proteas coach Russell Domingo about what sort of conditions will greet them on tour.
Domingo coached Bangladesh between 2019 and 2022, while Prince also served as a batting coach for the team during a short stint with Domingo.
According to Prince, they expect the ball to turn a lot more in Dhaka in the first Test than in Chattogram, where the second Test will be played.
“We had a nice meeting with Russell the other day to discuss the conditions. I was there, but Russell was obviously there longer than anyone of us,” Prince said.
“We looked at the conditions, what to expect. The ball spins a bit more in Dhaka than it does in Chattogram.
“The first Test is in Dhaka ... it can be tough for the batters. The scoring rates are not every high and most of the time the surface lacks pace and bounce. It makes it difficult to score quickly,” Prince said.
“The second Test in Chattogram, that is a batting paradise. It’s the ground where Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith had that record opening partnership.”
@JohnGoliath82