‘Tried to mould my game around Dave,' says Tristan Stubbs on batting with idol David Miller

NEW DELHI: For Tristan Stubbs, sharing the middle with David Miller is more than just a tactical advantage for South Africa; it is the realisation of a childhood dream, and the power-hitter said that throughout his transformative years, he moulded his game around how Miller plays.

Long before Stubbs emerged as one of the Proteas' most exciting finishers, he was a schoolboy in Gqeberha trying to copy the fearless strokeplay of Miller. Now 25, the hard-hitting right-hander finds himself not only performing the same finishing role for the national side but doing so alongside the man he idolised growing up.

"I love batting with Dave [Miller]. I pretty much watched him my whole junior years and tried to mould my game around Dave and the way he plays the backend," Stubbs said.

For years, Miller was the youthful free spirit in the South African dressing room, equally at home launching sixes as he was on a surfboard or golf course. The similarities with Stubbs are striking. Both thrive in high-pressure chases, both back their power at the death, and both carry a calm assurance that belies the chaos often unfolding around them.