South Africa national cricket team head coach Shukri Conrad has revealed the team’s third batsman for the upcoming Test series against West Indies. He said he will give a longer line to youngster Tristan Stubbs as he is confident the young batsman will perform well.
The South Africa national cricket team will face the West Indies in a two-match Test series starting from August 7. These two matches will be crucial for the team in the context of the World Test Championship and they will be keen to give their best.
With the series just around the corner, the South African national cricket team has a big decision to make. Young batsman Tristan Stubbs will be the team’s new No. 3 batsman. The decision was made by coach Shkri Conrad, who is the only one to select both the squad and the 11 players.
Tristan Stubbs hasn’t played much Test cricket. The right-hander has played just one game in the longest format of the game, so it will be a big challenge for him. He will follow Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi, who will open the innings for his team.
Shukri Conrad, speaking about his decision to use Tristan Stubbs as the No. 3 batsman, said the young batsman is an impressive figure who is needed to face the new ball. He said the batsman has good mentality and technique and called him the future of South Africa. He explained:
“Technique is a big factor because you’re going to be facing new balls most of the time. And he’s a pretty impressive guy, a big, strong, sturdy kid, and I like that a lot. I like the fact that there are some pretty impressive guys at the top of the rankings.
“They are players with good attitude and strong body language. His mentality and technique speak to the man who will do the job well. We have got a good player for the future of South African cricket.”
I’ll give him a good run – Shukri Konrad on Tristan Stubbs
Shukri Conrad added that he will give Tristan Stubbs more minutes and support him throughout the next cycle. He also talked about giving players freedom and said that the results will take care of themselves. He elaborated:
“I’ll give him a good chance. I’d be surprised if we didn’t support him throughout the cycle. I’m pretty confident Tristan will do well. We’ll be ourselves. It’s become a bit of a cliche to be the best version of yourself now…”
“Whatever that identity is, you combine it with the situation you’re facing, and then you combine that with the skills that the other person brings, but ultimately you still operate with your identity in mind. That’s the only message I gave Tristan and the other hitters.”
Tristan Stubbs has played 18 first-team games in his career, with an average of 50.20. His most notable innings in the long format was 302* against (now relegated) KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Inland in Pietermaritzburg in February.
