Proteas' Tristan Stubbs reflects on coming of age

Since his rapid rise to the senior international stage as a 22-year-old in 2022, when he was snapped up by Indian Premier League giants Mumbai Indians before going for a record R9 million in the inaugural SA20 auction later that year, Stubbs battled to live up to the lofty heights he was tipped to reach.

However, the now 24-year-old has begun to come into his own, as witnessed during the 2024 SA20 season and the recent T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies, and most recently in the Proteas Test side, where he held his own at number three.

"I think I'm just a bit older. I think when I first played, I played about 20 games – or maybe a bit more – and I knew nothing about my game," said Stubbs as he explained his turn in form.

Better late than never, the Knysna-born batter is finding his joy in the game again, as he looks to have grappled his way through the pressure from his early days on the big stage. 

"I think my biggest thing in the last year is my mental side, while batting, has been better up until we played the T20 against India in December last year at St George's," he added.

"Up until then, every game I played, be it in SA20, IPL, or a big game, my mind was going crazy, and then I sort of adopted [a mentality of], 'Just enjoy the day and what you're doing out there.'

"That sort of allowed me to – and I always say – think like I'm playing a Warriors game because then I feel calm at the creese. So I'm just a bit older and I've played a bit more cricket than when I first came out [onto the scene]."

Stubbs will be looking to continue his trajectory when South African battle the Windies in a three-match T20 International series in the Caribbean, starting on Friday.

READ: Proteas looking towards the future ahead of T20 series in West Indies