Shortly after the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 Final against Australia, South Africa headed to Zimbabwe for two Tests and the Tri-series involving New Zealand. Tristan Stubbs and a couple of senior players did not board the flight to Zimbabwe after enjoying the WTC victory. Stubbs returned to the squad for the T20I and ODI series against their WTC opponents. Barring a 74-run knock last week, Stubb’s form is somewhat lost in the sauce.
Let’s rewind the last couple of months for Stubbs in international cricket. After winding up IPL 2025, Stubbs flew to England for the WTC Final. He made 10 runs across two innings in the Test match.
In three T20Is against Australia, the 25-year-old returned with scores of 25, 31, and 37. In ODIs, his scores were 1, 74, and a duck. He has a decent career strike rate across formats, but the middle to lower-middle order batter hasn’t been his usual self.
Speaking about the promising youngster, Ashwell Prince reckons, “Sometimes when you have had a dip in form or there have been a few innings where you didn’t get a score, you can play it a little bit safe, but we know what he is capable of.”
By the looks of it, his form may be a cause for concern, but South Africa’s Test batting coach holds the right approach and space for growth for Stubbs.
When Stubbs broke on the scene, he was a dasher who predominantly played his natural game. He didn’t hesitate to take on the bowlers. But since becoming a multi-format player, that flair has lost a bit. He has been found out of sorts while pacing the innings, especially in Tests and ODIs.
Prince believes it is a mental block that comes with trying to switch between the formats. He is confident Stubbs will sort it out sooner and start delivering consistently across formats.
“When you are dipping in between formats, and you have different approaches, sometimes you are in a white-ball series where you want to play your more natural game and maybe your mindset is not as free as you would like it to be. I think Tristan is probably in that space from a mental point of view at the moment. We are having those conversations trying to encourage him to be a little freer, a little more positive, to be the guy who burst onto the scene in terms of his style of play,” he added.
The Proteas will soon begin their England tour for three ODIs and T20Is starting September 2.
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In sharp contrast to Stubbs, Prince has been mightily impressed with Matthew Breetzke. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) batter has had a spectacular start to his ODI career, with one century and three half-centuries.
Breetzke hasn’t always been the first-choice option but has done well whenever he has had the opportunities. In the recent ODI series against Australia, he struck 57 and 88 in two games. Prince likes the mental toughness Breetzke brings to the table.
“I’ve been impressed with the intensity of his training. We were joking with him in training before the ODI series that he’s got to put that bat on ice because it was smashing it. It’s great to see a player transform that sort of training form into how he plays in matches. and go and play,” he added.
Stubbs did well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Playing for Delhi Capitals in his second season in a row, he contributed 300 runs in 13 outings. He had an impressive average of 50, while staying not out seven times, and he struck at 150.75.
His IPL 2024 numbers, albeit, were better with 378 runs in the same number of outings, and at a slightly higher average (54) and strike rate (190.90).
However, given that age is on his side, Stubbs should be retained by Delhi Capitals.
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