OVER the last decade, the rise of T20 leagues has changed the game in so many ways.
One of those changes has been the insistent emphasis on the financial aspect of the game from the broadcasters, administrators, players and all involved parties.
Prioritising accumulating as much money during one’s career is not entirely a problem.
However, as we’ve seen with the downfall of West Indies cricket, where players prioritised the T20 leagues over their national team due to financial reasons, the international game at large can take a hit.
As a result, when a player willingly decides not to play in some T20 leagues, no matter the reason, it becomes a hot topic as it rarely happens in this day and age.
It becomes more of a surprise when it is a young player who decides to step away from the T20 leagues, especially if his reasons are to prioritise his fitness for national duty.
At only 24, Tristan Stubbs is one of those young players who aspires to play all formats for the Proteas, and is willing to play only the major T20 leagues, including the SA20 and the Indian Premier League, if it means he will be in his best shape for national duty.
Having been part of a gruelling Test series earlier this month and with the three-match T20I series against the West Indies starting tomorrow, Stubbs did air some regrets for availing himself for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which gets under way later this month, as he will get no rest in between.
“I had the CPL booked in for this month, not thinking I would play as much as I have. I didn’t see it going the way it’s gone,” Stubbs said yesterday ahead of tomorrow’s first T20I against the Windies in Trinidad (9pm SA time start).
🇿🇦 We are back Trinidad! 🇹🇹
Our players departed for the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Trinidad, ahead of their T20 Series.🏏#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt#SAvWI pic.twitter.com/3mRjGjochf
“So, I think going forward, if all goes to plan, it’ll hopefully just be the Proteas, the SA20 and the IPL if you’re playing all three formats.
“I think that’s the way it has to go, because you need time off... otherwise you’re just playing all the time.”
The T20 leagues also congest the cricket calendar, making it hard for international teams to have proper preparation going into series and world events.
Just a few months ago, the IPL ended a few days before the start of the T20 World Cup, making it difficult for teams to properly prepare for the showpiece event.
Major League Cricket in the US last month also meant that the SA players could only play one warm-up match before playing in the recentl Test series in the Caribbean, which is just not enough to get into the groove of Test cricket.
However, such is the reality of professional cricket that players and coaches just have to do their best with the situation.
“If you had the luxury of time, to prepare for a Test, you would love to play a few four-day games, but the reality is that you don’t have that time at the moment,” said Stubbs.
“It’s easier playing red ball and going into T20 rather than T20 into red ball, so it should be a bit easier going into the three games coming up now.”
Stubbs will be putting on his T20I jersey for the first time since the T20 World Cup final, a match that the Proteas players and fans would rather forget.
The youngster told the media that it still stings talking about the events of that day, despite having had the most successful World Cup campaign in the history of SA cricket.
“I think the whole World Cup was a good experience for myself and the team. We found ways to win, which I think is an underrated skill, just being able to win ugly. I think as a team, we can take a lot from that, it gives us a lot of character,” he said.
“The World Cup final will come up when you don’t want it to. I’ve tried my best to forget about it. It wasn’t easy, and it still is not easy getting asked about it.
“Coming back to the Caribbean, you get reminded about it. But fortunately, we are playing where we won the semi-final, so there’s a bit of good vibes there.”