Stubbs never really leaves a stone unturned: Markram

Tristan Stubbs can do it all. A high-performing batter, a formidable off-spinner, and on top of that, he can keep wickets. The deadly combination has helped the Warriors keeper pip Matthew Breetzke and Donovan Ferreira to the post to take over the wicket-keeping responsibilities for the T20I series against Australia in the absence of Quinton de Kock, who has been rested for the first half of the series.

"He has been working really hard over the last couple of weeks, and those who know Stubbo well know he is the kind of guy that will never really leave a stone unturned. He has spent hours and hours practicing his keeping, and it's been great to see,” Aiden Markram, South Africa's T20I captain, said at the pre-match press conference.

"From his personal game, it adds another element for him to take forward in his cricketing journey. We've seen him do well with the ball and we all know what he can do with the bat, now all of a sudden, he has got the gloves."

However, there’s a slight tinge of doubt. South Africa's white-ball coach Rob Walter recently stated that with three keepers in the squad, the responsibility will be rotated accordingly, which would mean that both Breetzke and Ferreira will be in the line for a debut.

Earlier in March this year, Keshav Maharaj had to be stretchered off the field at the Wanderers while celebrating a wicket against West Indies. That seemingly put him out of contention for the ICC World Cup in India, but his recovery happened pretty fast, with the selectors adding him to the squad for the T20I series. He played a warm-up game on Tuesday but will not be in contention for Wednesday’s T20I.

"It's fantastic to see him back on the park. He has been incredibly committed and motivated to get ahead of schedule in terms of his recovery and today is probably a very special day for him. It's huge for his career and it's something he can be incredibly proud of, to get back on the park this soon,” Markram said.