A familiar ground, an unfamiliar twist for Stubbs and Breetzke
Stubbs has been left out of the second Test against Australia after crossing 50 only twice in the last 16 innings
One change. But significant difference potentially. South Africa’s squad for the second Test against Australia at St George’s Park, which starts on Sunday, sparks intrigue.
Matthew Breetzke comes in for Tristan Stubbs. Fair enough. The rest of the squad of 17 is as it was before Australia won the first Test at Kingsmead, which the visitors won by 214 runs on Tuesday.
Stubbs' only scores of 50 or more in his last 16 completed innings were 76 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in October last year and 94 against India in Guwahati a month later. Both of those performances were crucial in what became important victories for South Africa.
He made 32 and 1 at Kingsmead and got out playing poor strokes in both innings. He was caught at deep fine leg pulling Pat Cummins - part of a slide of 4/42 - and caught behind off the same bowler.
Breetzke has had three Test innings with a top score of 13. But his 106-ball 112 was central to South Africa winning the first ODI against the Aussies in Durban by 67 runs last month.
Now let’s pause for poignance. Stubbs and Breetzke are both Eastern Cape kids. They went to the same elite school, Grey High in Gqeberha. St George’s Park, South Africa’s oldest Test ground, is a cathedral of cricket for them; a place that has been central to their professional and personal lives for about as long as they can remember.
They played together for Grey and batted together for South Africa against England in an ODI at Lord’s in September last year, sharing a stand of 147 off 126. In the course of that performance, which helped South Africa win by five runs, Breetzke hammered Will Jacks for a drive so straight and so violent that Stubbs had to acrobat himself out of the ball’s path. Now Stubbs has had to get out of Breetzke’s way in another sense.
Cricket can be a cruel business sometimes. This is one of those times.
Stubbs is among Shukri Conrad’s golden children. So there was feeling in the coach’s voice in the audio CSA released with the updated squad on Thursday when he said Stubbs “unfortunately misses out”. Conrad also welcomed Breetzke with, “The fact that his ODI form is as hot as it is gave him an inside lane.”
The other definite changes are that Tony de Zorzi, a hamdemic victim, was not considered for the second Test and that Ryan Rickelton will keep wicket at St George’s Park. That must mean Kyle Verreynne has lost his place in the XI.
Verreynne has gone 11 completed innings without reaching 50. Rickelton hasn’t made a half-century in his last eight completed trips to the crease. That might make it seem much of a muchness, but Rickelton has been opening the batting while Verreynne has taken guard in more standard wicketkeepers’ positions.
“With Ricks taking the gloves there will be decisions to be made whether he moves down the order, or whether he can continue to open the batting and take the gloves,” Conrad said, adding, “He’s done that before.” He has, but never in a Test.
How’s Kagiso Rabada’s hamstring? Will Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer keep their places at South Africa’s most spin friendly venue despite both having been ineffectual in Durban? Has Breetzke leapfrogged Marques Ackerman in the batting queue? Not so fast, Conrad said.
“There’re a few things to look at before we get to the XI. We’ve had the opportunity to lick our wounds. Now we need to make sure we turn this ship in the right direction.”
