Stubbs ready to 'go full on' in finisher's role at T20 World Cup

Less than three weeks ago, the only thing Tristan Stubbs was concerned about was winning the SA20 final.

He had known, for more than a month, that he was not going to be part of South Africa's T20 World Cup after being told on their tour of India in December, and he accepted it. His returns made for sorry reading - seven scores all under 40 across three away tours between August and December - so he "got over" the disappointment of missing out "quickly". He also had other things to do.

As the new captain of Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Stubbs "kept my mind busy" with matters ranging from his own form (he scored only 28 runs in the first five games) to how his team could get to a fourth successive final. And then, after they topped the points table in the group stage and Stubbs showed glimpses of his old finishing form with four not outs in five innings - including 47 off 30 balls against Durban's Super Giants - he got the call that he was back in Shukri Conrad's plans.

"I got told just before the [SA20] playoffs, so I didn't really have time to think that I was coming here," Stubbs said in Ahmedabad after South Africa's T20 World Cup win over Canada. "But at that point, I was fully invested in the SA20 and then we won that. It was a two-day celebration and I jumped straight in to play a game again. It's a bit crazy."

With things moving at pace, Stubbs got down to some of his best work. He scored a title-winning 63 not out off 52 balls for SEC, then led the triumphant homecoming to Gqeberha and then joined up with the South African side that played West Indies in a home series before leaving for India. While it can be difficult to make too many judgments from a warm-up match, Stubbs' 21-ball 45 against India was enough to get him picked ahead of Jason Smith, who may feel aggrieved at not getting his opportunity. Smith was chosen ahead of Stubbs in the initial squad but after Stubbs' 19-ball 34 not out against Canada, his place appears sealed.

It's not the number of runs he scored that makes Stubbs' case so convincing but the way in which he scored them. Stubbs looked completely in control, unlike some of the batters before him (Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis both went too big, too soon) was considered in his approach of when to attack, which is something he has been working on as he learns to change strategies across formats.

"It's a natural progression. At first, you come out, you score a bit and then you try and hit every ball for six and that fails. Then you try and find a happy medium but then playing a lot of Test cricket, you focus solely on that," he said. "Now, there's six to eight months where it's just T20 cricket. I don't have to worry about my front shoulder or if I'm going to get nicked off. It's been nice. I've been in a rhythm of playing T20 cricket."

He is also settling into a role lower down the order than his short-lived, designated Test spot at No. 3, which he seems not to want back. "Often I've struggled when I've gone up the order. I've played that role where if you lose wickets you go in and I've struggled with that, whereas I've always been comfortable batting No. 5 and 6 at the death," he said. "I do it here in the IPL, so I'm pretty confident in that role. Whatever the team needs, I'll go full on."

The result is that Stubbs now has his highest T20 World Cup score in his third tournament and joins David Miller as South Africa's finisher, which is also a symbolic passing of the baton. Miller hasn't said it but his sixth T20 World Cup could be his last as he moves through the second half of his 30s and the occasional injury.

Before the tournament, he had not played for three weeks after hurting his groin in the SA20 but regained fitness in time to make the trip and looks in good touch. Miller's 39 not out got South Africa over 200 and showed the "experience and calmness" he hopes to bring to the side as its most-capped player. While Miller assessed his own contribution as a result of feeling "good and strong" post injury, he also praised Stubbs for the way he marshalled the innings in the final overs.

"It was really nice to bat with Stubbo at the back end. We were in there for a couple of overs. I actually found it a bit tough to strike the ball. I felt like just a bit out of rhythm, we managed to dovetail really well off each other," Miller said. "He was going really nicely at that stage and so we just kind of worked off each other."

Together, they ensured South Africa got their first points on the board of a tournament where they have lofty ambitions. After Miller took them to the brink two years ago in the final against India in Barbados, he said he hopes they can go "one step further" this time with a squad he feels has all the ingredients to be trophy-winning. "We've played a lot together and it feels calm. Guys are nice and focused and we just take one game at a time and just make sure that build-up from that 2024 final."