Tristan Stubbs reflects on SA's defeat in T20 WC final
What's the story
Tristan Stubbs, a rising star in international cricket, has attributed his recent success to a change in mindset.
The budding batter was a key member in South Africa's 2024 ICC T20 World Cup squad. The Proteas missed out on the coveted title after losing the final to India.
In a recent interaction with IOA, Stubbs stated that the defeat to India from a winning spot was a tough pill to swallow.
Heartbreak
Stubbs on T20 World Cup loss
Despite South Africa's strong position in the T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean, they narrowly missed out on victory due to a seven-run defeat by India.
This loss was particularly hard for Stubbs, who admitted "tried his best to forget about it."
"The World Cup final will come up when you don't want it to. I've tried my best to forget about it," he said, highlighting the emotional toll of such high-stakes matches on players.
Final
SA fell seven runs short in final
The 2024 T20 World Cup marked a historic moment for South Africa they reached their first-ever ICC World Cup final.
The final match, held Kensington Oval in Bridgetown on June 29, Barbados, ended in a heart-wrenching defeat for the Proteas.
The Proteas had the edge in the final as they required just 26 off 24 balls with six wickets in hand.
SA fell seven runs short in their run-chase of 177.
Journey
Their journey in 2024 T20 World Cup
It was a memorable tourney for the Proteas as they qualified for a World Cup final for the first time (ODIs or T20Is). In fact, they entered the summit clash without a single defeat.
SA won all of their three games in the league stage before recording four more successive wins in the Super 8 round.
In a one-sided semi-final, they hammered Afghanistan by nine wickets.
Performance
Stubbs shone for DC in IPL 2024
Stubbs has a emerged as a fearless batter in white-ball cricket. He made merry for Delhi Capitals in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
He scored an impressive 378 runs in just 14 matches, at an incredible strike-rate of 190.90.
This performance was instrumental in his team's success during the middle overs of their games.
The 24-year-old owns over 400 runs for the Proteas in T20I cricket.
Mindset change
Mental shift and international experience
Stubbs has managed to improve his consistency by shifting his mindset.
"I think I'm just a bit older. When I started, I think I played about 20 or so domestic games, and I didn't know my game," he told IOL.
He further explained that every game he played in the IPL, SA20 was mentally challenging but now he enjoys what he's doing due to his matured approach toward the game.