There’s a ‘realness’ about Stubbs that can’t be bottled

Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The Golden Globe award-winning TV series, as the title suggests, is all about urging the audience not to expect too much from the show.

The creator, Larry David, also wanted to lower expectations after his earlier success in the entertainment industry, with his other hit sitcom Seinfeld.

But what does a Hollywood television series have to do with sport, and cricket in particular?

Well for me, it relates to Tristan Stubbs, because it’s hard not to get excited about the fun-loving surfing boy from Knysna.

Everyone might be on the Dewald Brevis hype boat, but it’s Stubbs that gets my engine revving. It’s been close to a decade – if not more – that a young batter in South Africa has got me this excited.

He strikes the ball as clean as a whistle without any great fuss … and with equal power on both sides of the wicket, and particularly straight down the ground.

He sets up a solid base, and then swings freely through the ball.

The fact that he can bowl, keep a wicket if need be, and is an absolute gun fielder, makes him the complete modern-day package.

It’s no wonder the Sunrisers Eastern Cape were willing to fork out R9.2-million at the SA20 auction for the youngster.

However, it’s his attitude that impresses me the most.

There are no premeditated media-savvy platitudes, unlike Brevis, who has already been transformed into a PR machine, when speaking to the media.

It’s off the cuff, genuine answers, that is to be expected from a 22-yearold.

Like he said last week, “It’s going to be great playing with ‘Plank’ … oh sorry … I mean Marco” when asked about joining up with fellow 2019 SA Schools and now Proteas teammate Marco Jansen at the Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

There’s a ‘realness’ about Stubbs that can’t be bottled and sold off. And it goes hand-in-hand with his work ethic that is second none.

And this is why this column is as much for myself as it’s for the greater South African cricket audience.

There is an expectation surrounding Stubbs now – the same expectation that someone like Herschelle Gibbs carried on his shoulders throughout his career.

And it’s the same with every ‘bums-on-seats’ superstar that has ever played the game.

People buy a ticket to watch them alone. And they often leave when they are dismissed. Ask Shahid Afridi.

It’s an immense burden for a youngster to bear.

I hope that we allow ‘Stubbsy’ to grow, develop and just enjoy the roller-coaster ride, and not expect him to win the upcoming T20 World Cup single-handedly.

He will fail. That’s a reality. And when he does, he should not be crucified.

Because such is his undoubted quality that he will also win many, many games for South Africa.

So, curb the enthusiasm, because Tristan Stubbs is in for the long haul and is not just a one-hit wonder.