Sensational Stubbs achieves triple ton
Dafabet Warriors batsman Tristan Stubbs struck the red cherry to all parts of the Pietermaritzburg Oval to score a majestic unbeaten triple century in their CSA 4-Day Series clash against the AET Tuskers yesterday.
The Warriors reached 517/2 when bad light brought a premature end to proceedings shortly after an early tea break on the second day.
Stubbs, who had resumed on 208, added 94 runs to his overnight score to reach a brilliant 302 not out off 372 deliveries. He struck 37 boundaries and six sixes.
In doing so, the 23-year-old became the first EP-based player to record the milestone in a first-class encounter.
Stubbs becomes the fifth SA player to hit a triple century in franchise cricket behind Stephen Cook (390), Daryl Cullinan (337), Rilee Rossouw (319), as well as Tony de Zorzi last season, who scored 304 not out for Western Province.
The last man from the region to achieve this feat was Dumisa Makalima, who struck 302 off 326 for Eastern Province B against Free State B in Bloemfontein in a UCB Bowl match in the 2003/2004 season while Marco Marais, playing for Border, also hit an unbeaten triple ton against Eastern Province in 2017/2018.
At the time of Makalima’s achievement, the UCB Bowl did not carry first-class status and hence his achievement is not reflected in his first-class stats.
At the other end yesterday, skipper Matthew Breetzke hit a career-best 188 off 333 balls including 18 boundaries, on a day where bad light interrupted play for long periods.
The pair breezed past the all-time partnership record for the third wicket in franchise cricket of 361, adding more than 100 as their partnership finished on 473 from 110 overs.
It is the third-highest partnership in SA first-class cricket, only 13 runs shy of the highest stand of 485 by Yaseen Valli and Andrea Agathangelou in 2019/2020 and a mere seven behind the all-time franchise record of 480 set by Dean Elgar (161) and Rilee Rossouw (319) in 2009/2010.
Furthermore, it eclipses the highest partnership for any wicket this season which stood at 293 between Jon-Jon Smuts and Bryce Parsons for the Dolphins and is also streets ahead of the 194 posted by Pieter Malan and Aviwe Mgijima for the Gbets Rocks.
Play was disrupted and when the umpires took the players off for a second time after early lunch and tea breaks, only 29 overs had been bowled on the second day.
Resuming the day on 368/2, with Stubbs already reaching his double century and Breetzke on the brink of 150, the pair continued to dominate the home attack taking them to the brink of 500 when Breetzke was dismissed by Mondli Khumalo for his third scalp.
Stubbs reached his triple ton with a brace off the bowling of Daelen Flynn and as he did so he saluted the dugout in the 126th over.
Khumalo would finish the day with three for 92.