South Africa’s head coach, Shukri Conrad, believes that young player Tristan Stubbs will perform well in the third batting position in Test cricket. The South African team is preparing to face the West Indies in a two-game series starting on Thursday, August 7. Both teams are currently in the middle of the World Test Championship, but they are not doing very well, ranking seventh and ninth.
Before the series starts, coach Conrad has said that Stubbs will be given a chance to play in the third batting position in the longest form of the game because he has the skills needed. The coach also mentioned that Stubbs will be supported throughout the rest of the championship in that position.
“Tristan will be given a good chance in that position. I believe his mindset and technique show that he can do that job really well. I’m going to give him a good chance. I would be surprised if we didn’t support him throughout the rest of the championship,” he said during a virtual press conference.
South Africa is scheduled to play eight additional Test matches in the current cycle, with two matches each in West Indies and Bangladesh, and four matches in South Africa. This means the young player will experience different playing conditions early in his career.
Stubbs has only played one Test match so far, against India in January 2024. The 23-year-old played as a batsman at number four in both innings, scoring 3 runs in the first innings and 1 run in the second. However, Stubbs has impressive statistics in first-class cricket, scoring 1205 runs in 27 innings with an average of 50.20, including five centuries and one half-century.
Conrad expressed confidence that Stubbs will begin performing well starting with the upcoming series, highlighting his strong personality as an asset for the team.
He is quite an imposing Character:
“I’m quite sure he will perform well, whether it’s during the first or the second test match. I believe he has a bright future within the South African team. Since he’ll mostly be dealing with the new ball, I know Tristan meets all the necessary requirements. He’s also quite a commanding presence, physically strong and robust. I appreciate that. I like having imposing players at the top of the order who project a strong aura and have confident body language,” Conrad added.
The first Test match between West Indies and South Africa starts on Wednesday, August 7 at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Both teams are eager to win, as each has only won one Test so far in the current World Test Championship cycle.
