In his past five innings, Matthew Breetzke scored more runs than Tristan Stubbs in his previous fifteen. Players fluctuate in form during their careers; these things happen.
But here’s a shocking statistic: in his previous five games, Stubbs, one of the world’s most athletic and captivating fielders, has lost six catches.
Why is he acting this way?
“These guys play a lot of cricket, especially the ones who play all three formats,” South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince said Monday, August 28, during a news conference. “You may occasionally become a little confused about how to proceed and how to approach situations.
“Stubbs was mostly a white-ball player when he first entered the domestic scene. We’ve always believed that he can play all formats and is a good batter overall, not simply a strong white-ball batter.
Sometimes you’re in a white-ball series where you want to play a more natural game and your thinking may not be as free as you would like it to be when you’re switching between formats and using different strategies.
“I believe Tristan is currently in that state of mind. We are having these discussions in an attempt to motivate him to be the guy that stepped into the scene, to be a little more optimistic, and to be a little more free.”
Prince and Breetzke undoubtedly have very different discussions.
“Your confidence rises when you have some form. The goals you have for yourself are much clearer.
“His training has astonished me with its intensity. Before the ODI series, we joked with him during training that he needed to put that bat on ice because it was smashing it. It’s amazing to watch a player translate that kind of training into his on-field performance. and proceed to play.
“Matthew has consistently been an optimistic individual. He has consistently supported himself. It makes no difference to him who bowls or who the opposition is. It’s obvious to everyone that he has a strong skill set. However, one of his greatest assets is his mindset. He confronts the adversary.
In South Africa’s three ODI matches against England, Prince has the responsibility of letting some of Breetzke’s traits trickle down to Stubbs while keeping Breetzke far away from what Stubbs is going through. There will be games at Lord’s on Thursday, the Rose Bowl on Sunday, and Headingley on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, Breetzke played ODIs in Australia and scored 88 and 57 runs. That came after he scored 52, 85, and 93 for the T20 team of Northamptonshire. Breetzke appears composed at the crease and strikes the ball with force and accuracy.
The rangy, driven player who got two hundreds in three Test innings against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in October and November of last year appears to be very different from Stubbs. And who, in back-to-back trips to the crease in April of last year, hit 54 off 32 and 71 not out off 25 for the Delhi Capitals. Only twice in his last 15 innings—in ODIs, T20Is, a red-ball tour match, the WTC final, and T20s—has he scored 50 runs.
Knowing that one of those two half-centuries contributed to South Africa’s victory in their ODI series against Australia gives him a sense of satisfaction. However, there were issues with that as well.
For his 74 off 87, which included three fours and a six, Stubbs worked hard and attempted to connect with the batter he was and will be again. He remained tautly concentrated for his 88 off 78, while his companion in a stand of 89 off 90 appeared to bat carelessly. He hit two sixes and eight fours in his attempt. Matthew Breetzke is his name.
