Tristan Stubbs smashes triple century to enter record books

Warriors batter Tristan Stubbs smashed his way to a brilliant triple century against the Tuskers (KwaZulu-Natal Inland) in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday afternoon to write himself into the SA cricket record books.

It is the final CSA 4-Day Series pool match for the season for both sides, but it has mostly been all about Stubbs who finished the shortened second day’s play unbeaten on 302 off 372 balls, having struck 37 fours and six sixes in his sparkling innings.

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The players were called off the field for bad light a few times during the day, before they took an early tea with the Warriors on 517/3, with stumps called soon after.

It is thus highly unlikely that Stubbs will be able to continue his innings, as the visitors will probably declare overnight, and target breaking the all-time South African franchise record of 390 runs scored by former Lions stalwart Stephen Cook against the Warriors back in 2009.

Elite company

However Stubbs has joined some elite company as he became just the sixth South African to score a triple century in franchise (A division) cricket in SA or Test cricket.

Darryl Cullinan, 337 for Transvaal against Northern Transvaal in 1993, Rilee Roussouw, 319 for the Eagles against the Titans in 2010, and Tony de Zorzi, 304no for Western Province against the Knights in 2022 are the only other South African franchise triple centurions in SA.

Hashim Amla is the only South African Test triple centurion, with his unbeaten 311 coming against England at the Oval in London in 2012.

Another huge score for a South African outside of the country was Barry Richards hitting 356 for South Australia against Western Australia in 1970.

Stubbs did set a franchise partnership record in SA, with his 473-run third wicket stand with Matthew Breetzke (188) the highest for that wicket.

They however fell just short of the overall highest franchise partnership record for any wicket, of 480 set by Rossouw (319) and Dean Elgar (161) for the Eagles against the Titans in 2010.