Almost Slipped Through The Cracks
Tristan Stubbs is the one that almost got away.
Whatever team he has played for, Tristan Stubbs has kept the caps. He has every cap from his Grey High School days to the Proteas and everything in between. When the Proteas toured India, Stubbs received his debut T20I cap. But he only played his first innings in England, where he announced himself on the international stage with a blistering 19-ball 50 on his way to a score of 72 off 28 balls.
6 matches. 4 innings. 119 runs. Average 39.66. SR 216.36. With these figures, Stubbs has had a dream start to his international career. An international career that the Dutch tried to derail, for their own good.
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When Tristan Stubbs went off to play cricket in the Netherlands, a few people close to the Stubbs family raised concerns. The general feeling was that Tristan Stubbs would benefit more from playing second division or club cricket in the UK as opposed to the Dutch league.
“Holland is not really competitive in cricket,” they argued. And they were right. The Netherlands is an associate member of the ICC and the Topklasse is full of semi-professional cricketers. Most of Stubbs’ teammates squeezed in practice after work, just before dashing home to spend time with their families.
For Stubbs' parents, it was an opportunity for their son to experience the world, have fun while playing cricket and maybe see the country where his grandparents grew up and lived in.
A few weeks after Stubbs had settled in the Netherlands, everyone around him had something to worry about. The Dutch wanted to poach Tristan Stubbs. They did not just want to poach him, they tried to do so. Not once. Not twice. Multiple times, unsuccessfully.
Everyone is always on the lookout for talented players that can add value. Zimbabwe is in pursuit of Gary Ballance. Ruben Trumpelmann was pencilled to play for the SA Invitational team due to face Sri Lanka in 2019. South Africa could not guarantee Trumpelmann with international cricket, Namibia offered it to him on a platter.
That was Netherlands’ pitch to Stubbs. They offered a quicker route to international cricket, maybe Stubbs could think about that. With his talent, it was likely that in a few years the Netherlands could build a team around him, maybe Stubbs could think about that too. Roelof van der Merwe retired from international cricket a hero, and Stubbs could follow in his footsteps.
It’s a seductive image. Ireland’s Curtis Campher is only 23 and is already looking forward to his second T20I world cup tournament. Who knows when he would have made the breakthrough if he had stayed in South Africa?
Stubbs did not appear to take the bait. He wanted to play for the Proteas. When he was seven he had a replica Proteas cap. He loved that cap. His dream back then was to one day wear the real one on the field.
He was adamant that he wanted to play for the Proteas.
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The Dutch were not discouraged. Like every other small nation, in cricketing terms, the Netherlands does not have a talent development system like that of South Africa. South Africa has one of the best production lines in world cricket. They produce so many quality cricketers they cannot keep all of them in. This is a reality that they have accepted, but they were determined that Tristan Stubbs was not going to be one of those that slipped through the cracks.
The Dutch were not discouraged when Stubbs rebuffed their efforts. They take every opportunity that comes their way and sometimes they are forced to make something out of nothing if need be. Even if sometimes it means that they get a stop-gap measure. Anything to help them inch forward on their path to getting full member status.
Tim Pringle - the son of former New Zealand fast bowler Chris Pringle - made his debut for the Netherlands in 2022. Pringle might later choose to play for New Zealand should they come knocking, but the Netherlands are happy to have him now. Of course, the Netherlands hope that the player stays with them forever, and they will do what they can to keep the player.
So, the Dutch redoubled their efforts. They assured Stubbs a spot in the Netherlands A team due to play the Ireland Wolves (Ireland's A-side) in June 2021. It was a big jump. The young man had just debuted for the Warriors the previous year.
Robbie Petersen knew he was watching a special player when he saw Stubbs batting in the nets. Ryan Campbell watched Stubbs in the nets and during matches, there was no doubt on his mind that he was looking at a special talent. One that would add value to his team. Campbell was determined to get Stubbs.
Stubbs had not agreed to the move, and while he was trying to focus on cricket, Roland Lefebvre sent an email to Graeme Smith anyway. The Dutch tried to convince the South Africans that the series would not affect Stubbs' eligibility for the Proteas as it would not be recognized as an international game. It was a clever ploy.
“Is there something we can do to keep him in our system, any way we could include him in our high-performance program?” Smith asked Vincent Barnes. Alarm bells had gone off in his head when he read the email. Smith was not taking any chances.
South Africa’s National Academy takes in players in a three-year cycle. While the number fluctuates, there is an effort to have 17 academy players at any given time. Every year, academy players go into the academy for four months. A new spot opens up when an academy player makes their SA A debut.
Many players who go through the academy might have made it on their own. But, why take the risk of them stumbling? The academy is the incubator that helps them develop into professional cricketers. The high-performance coaches make the transition easier. Because of it, many just get better.
Stubbs knew what he wanted. He wanted to play for South Africa. Robbie Petersen was doing his best to help him remain focused on that goal, but it is also easy for a young man to be overwhelmed by wave after wave of proposals to switch his allegiance. Barnes had an idea. Smith agreed with the idea. Stubbs would be in a better spot mentally if he knew that he was firmly in South Africa’s plans.
When Smith called Barnes, Barnes suggested that Stubbs should be included in the National Academy. Stubbs had been under the radar of scouts and selectors from his Grey High days. His inclusion in the National Academy was brought up by a few months. There was no problem in creating a spot for Stubbs. Stubb was an outstanding prospect.
Smith’s reply to the Dutch, distilled to its essence, was, “We are going to look after Tristan Stubbs. I am sorry you can’t pick him.” Smith informed the Dutch that Stubbs was one of their identified high-performance players, he was in the National Academy.
News of Stubbs being a part of the National Academy was not enough to dissuade the Dutch. They were an ardent suitor. They would not give up as long as there was the slightest hope that Stubbs could play for the Netherlands. Campbell was forever in Stubbs’ ear. Petersen helped Stubbs repel these efforts.
When the Dutch toured South Africa in November 2021, they were still trying to get Stubbs. They were still trying to convince him to be their player. They were also still trying to get South Africa to let him play for them. Again, they were not successful in their attempts.
Eventually, they got the message when Stubbs debuted for South Africa A in Zimbabwe. Since then, Stubbs has been flying high.
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what a talent