Tristan Stubbs- (Source:@MufaVohra/X.com)
On Friday, February 21, Afghanistan locked horns against South Africa in their first match of Champions Trophy 2025 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi. The Proteas won the toss and opted to bat first.
Interestingly, the Temba Bavuma-led side opted for two major changes. Heinrich Klaasen was the biggest miss as he was left out of the side because of a discomfort in his elbow. Meanwhile, Tristab Stubbs also failed to find a place in the playing XI, that has got the fans question why. This article will shed light on why Stubbs was not a part of the team against Afghanistan.
Why Did South Africa Drop Tristan Stubbs For Afghanistan Match?
Unlike Klaasen, South Africa have provided no update on any sort of injury for Stubbs, thus it is safe to say that the DC star has been dropped because of his poor run with the bat. It looks like a tactical change as Stubbs struggle against spin and Afghanistan are a spin-heavy team.
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Shedding light on Stubbs form, then South Africa faced Afghanistan in a three-match bilateral series in September, where the right-hand batter amassed just 31 runs in 3 matches.
Although, Stubbs smashed a century in ODIs vs Ireland and scored 211 runs in 3 matches in October 2024. However, there is another reason behind Stubbs' exclusion.
Notably, South Africa went ahead with Tony de Zorzi, who will open the innings, resulting in Temba Bavuma batting at No.3. Thus, it has led to no space for Stubbs in the team as Rassie Van der Dussen will bat at No.4, Aiden Markram at No.4, and David Miller at No.5.
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