Despite all the work he had put in to be ready for his moment, Stubbs was still 20. And Peterson made a throwaway comment to help him relax. “Mate, it doesn’t matter if you get out. Try and hit your first ball for a six,” he told the youngster. Stubbs may not remember it now, but that is exactly what he did. He took guard, and on his first ball in professional T20 cricket, smashed Ottneil Baartman over the boundary. It was just one of many moments that announced and defined the way Stubbs was and is as an athlete. Always brave enough to take the risk while leaving no stone unturned to be prepared and skilled for whatever the sport throws at him.
Four years on, he is doing exactly that for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. He bats in the middle-order, builds momentum and provides the necessary finish his team needs. It is what Stubbs has done for every team he has turned out across the world in this format. It is why DC, a team that went through a complete overhaul, retained the 24-year-old — their only overseas retention.
Stubbs can stand tall in his crease and launch pacers who bowl hard lengths back over their heads. He can reverse-scoop them behind the stumps when they go full. He is not your textbook batter. Nor is he an Andre Russell-like hitter. But he is just as effective if not more. His record in the death overs of the IPL tells how much. In the last three editions, Stubbs has faced 109 balls in death and has smashed 287 runs at 263.33. The runs and strike-rate are one thing but what can blow one’s mind is that he has played six, just six, dot balls. Of the six, one came in 2025 against Chennai Super Kings. It was a missed reverse-scoop off Mukesh Choudhary in the 19th over after hitting a four and a six on the previous two deliveries.
