Kandy [Sri Lanka], June 9 (ANI): South Africa A batter Tristan Stubbs provided a series triumph against Sri Lanka A, with a five-wicket win in Kandy. Stubbs feels that this experience will prepare him for the ODI format.
Stubbs was South Africa A’s top run-getter and the only player to register two half-centuries. He played a match-winning match of 58 not out.
“It’s closer to first-class cricket where you’ve got to bat time, I haven’t played a lot of 50-over cricket but in this format, you absorb pressure and then apply pressure. T20 cricket you have to make a play almost every ball but in 50-over cricket and first-class cricket you can just bat time and that’s what I have really enjoyed doing,” Stubbs told ESPNcricinfo.
Stubbs also talked about IPL, he said “It [the IPL] was an awesome tournament to be a part of, whether you are playing or not. And Mumbai made the semi-finals so I got to experience a semi-final with 100,000 people which was pretty cool.
But I hadn’t played in a couple of months so getting some game time now is good. It’s been cool to spend some time in the middle and bat again.”
He started his career three years ago where he has played 55 matches of T20s. He has been recognized as a big-hitter has seen him picked for the Manchester Originals in the Hundred, and Mumbai Indians at the IPL, although he has only played four matches, two in each of the last two seasons.
Stubbs performed extremely well, he scored half-centuries in the last two games. In the second match, he saved the team from 20 for 4 to 153 for 8. However, the team lost the game then in the third game they recovered from 27 for 2 in the fifth over to successfully chase 173.
“It doesn’t bounce as much [as home] and the ball turns a bit more but the conditions have changed between each game. The pitch we played on today got more and more dry and it was turning a lot more. But in the second game the ball was seaming around a lot. It’s a nice challenge,” Stubbs said to ESPNcricinfo.
“We were in trouble early on. In the second game, it tested my defence of seam and today it was spinning. And you learn it’s all right to block a good ball in the longer game. It’s not ideal, but sometimes it’s required.”
I am trying not to think about it. I am just trying to take every game as it comes and just enjoy playing. Today, I could help the team get over the line. We have a pretty strong side so that always helps,” he concluded. (ANI)