In 2022, the Mumbai Indians had South Africa’s two new age wunderkinds, Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs. Brevis was a big-name buy following an explosive 2022 U19 Cricket World Cup. Mumbai bid 6 million Rands for the then-teenager. Stubbs was by contrast a much quieter acquisition, being jetted in halfway through the tournament to replace Tymal Mills. Oftentimes in sports, your price tag is as important as your ability. Both Brevis and Stubbs had quiet, if unspectacular stints during the 2022 and 2023 IPL. But where Mumbai decided to keep their big money investment, they elected to let Stubbs go. Stubbs was then picked up by the Delhi Capitals, which has proven to be the best development for him in the IPL.
Where Brevis has struggled for game time, even in the age of the Impact Player, Stubbs has been a cleanup hitter (for the uninitiated, a “cleanup hitter” is the fourth batter in a baseball team, who comes in with the bases loaded to maximise scoring) for one of the most exciting batting line-ups in the competition.
After scoring only 27 runs in his first two IPL seasons, Stubbs has scored 318 runs at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 188.17. He has hit 22 sixes in 169 deliveries, equating to one six every 7.6 deliveries. While I understand that this season of the IPL does have some scoring inflation – more runs and more sixes than ever before, a player averaging over 50 at a strike rate of over 180 is still incredible. No other player has scored 300 or more runs at an average of 50 or more and a strike rate over 180. In other words, Stubbs is the most consistent big hitter in a competition teeming with them. Given the importance of big hitting in T20 cricket, you could make an argument that this makes him the best player in the tournament. For South African cricket fans, this is particularly exciting as it continues the form he demonstrated in the SA20, where he scored 301 runs at an average of 60.2 and a strike rate of 168.16. Overall for the year, Stubbs is averaging 56.27 at a strike rate of 178. So it isn’t just the IPL-related inflation that is contributing to his numbers, he has made a legitimate step up as a cricketer.
For South Africa, it does raise an issue or two. Clearly, there are few better death hitters than Stubbs in world cricket. The problem is two of them. Over the last two years, Heinrich Klaasen has pushed the boundaries of six-hitting beyond previous limits. He changes games in ways few cricketers have before. But his long-time partner in the middle order, David Miller, has a similar profile. Miller, 35, has not had quite the same 2024 as his potential partners in the middle order, but he makes up for it in international pedigree. From 2021 to 2024, Miller has scored 859 runs at an average of 45.2 and a strike rate of 155. While not apparently more impressive than Stubbs’ 2024, it is a more impressive showing on account of it being done at the national level.
Deciding the batting order of these three potential match-winners could be key to ending South Africa’s title drought. There can be no doubt that Stubbs has made a significant impact this season, but I suspect that Miller and Klaasen’s seniority will see them get preference in terms of batting positions.
Given that both Klaasen and Miller traditionally need some time to settle in, and considering batting Miller at five might add a nice break from a predominantly right-handed batting line-up, I suspect that Stubbs will bat at six.
Leave a Reply