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Jason Smith over Tristan Stubbs: Inside SA’s bold call for the T20 World Cup

Adnaan MohamedColumns, Cricket, NewsLeave a Comment on Jason Smith over Tristan Stubbs: Inside SA’s bold call for the T20 World Cup
By Adnaan Mohamed

South Africa’s T20 Cricket World Cup squad announcement made one thing clear: the selectors are prioritising structure and balance over star power. No decision underlined that more than the inclusion of Jason Smith ahead of Tristan Stubbs.

On paper, it is a difficult call to justify. Stubbs is one of South Africa’s most proven T20 batters in recent seasons. His performances in the IPL, where he has averaged over 50 with a strike rate above 170, place him among the most effective middle-order players in the global game.

He is also already established in South Africa’s T20I setup and has experience across all three formats. With the World Cup taking place in India and Sri Lanka, leaving out a batter who has thrived in Indian conditions is a significant gamble.

Tristan Stubbs (Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com)

However, World Cup selection is about fit, not form alone. The choice of Jason Smith suggests the selectors believe this tournament will demand flexibility and game management rather than constant aggression. Smith is not in the squad to outscore opponents in ten balls; he is there to control innings when conditions or situations require restraint. On slower surfaces, or against high-quality spin, that role becomes increasingly valuable.

South Africa’s recent struggles in ICC tournaments have often followed a familiar pattern: strong starts undone by middle-order collapses or an inability to adapt when conditions shift. Smith offers a different profile. He can bat in multiple positions, rotate strike, and provide stability when the run rate tightens. These are not headline skills, but they are often decisive in knockout matches.

The broader squad composition reinforces this approach. Tony de Zorzi’s selection despite a hamstring issue, Ryan Rickelton’s omission despite strong domestic form, and Kagiso Rabada’s inclusion despite fitness concerns all point to a group built with specific roles in mind. The selectors appear willing to accept short-term risk in pursuit of a balanced, adaptable XI.

That does not remove the downside of leaving Stubbs out. T20 cricket remains a format where individual brilliance can outweigh careful planning. There will be matches where South Africa could use the immediate impact and power Stubbs provides. If Smith struggles to score quickly enough or fails to influence games, the decision will be questioned sharply.

In selecting Jason Smith, South Africa have made a clear statement. They are backing composure, versatility, and tactical discipline over explosive potential. It is a conservative call in a format that rewards boldness, but one rooted in a clear reading of conditions and tournament pressure. Whether that reading is correct will define the success or failure of their World Cup campaign.

South Africa Men’s Squad – ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
Aiden Markram (captain, Momentum Multiply Titans), Corbin Bosch (Momentum Multiply Titans),
Dewald Brevis (Momentum Multiply Titans), Quinton de Kock (DP World Lions), Tony de Zorzi (World
Sports Betting Western Province), Donovan Ferreira (Momentum Multiply Titans), Marco Jansen
(Momentum Multiply Titans), George Linde (World Sports Betting Western Province), Keshav
Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Kwena Maphaka (DP World Lions), David Miller (Hollywoodbets
Dolphins), Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Anrich Nortje (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Kagiso
Rabada (DP World Lions) and Jason Smith (Hollywoodbets Dolphins).

Management
Shukri Conrad (Head Coach), Khomotso Volvo Masubelele (Team Manager), Ashwell Prince (Batting
Coach), Piet Botha (Bowling Coach), Kruger van Wyk (Fielding Coach), Albie Morkel (Specialist
Consultant), Runeshan Moodley (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Matthew Reuben (Performance
Analyst), Sizwe Hadebe (Physiotherapist), Dr Salih Solomon (Team Doctor), Kyle Botha (Logistics and
Masseur), Lucy Davey (Media Manager) and Brian Khonto (Security Officer).

Group D Fixtures
Monday, 09 February at 15:30 SAST
South Africa vs Canada – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Wednesday, 11 February at 07:30 SAST
South Africa vs Afghanistan – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Friday, 14 February at 15:30 SAST
New Zealand vs South Africa – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Tuesday, 18 February at 07:30 SAST
South Africa vs United Arab Emirates – Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Running with Rory

Roxanne MartinColumnsLeave a Comment on Running with Rory

Champions! The funniest thing happened to me this afternoon. I was sitting, minding my own lazy business, when I saw a message come through from Richard from Modern Athlete – he’s the guy in the cow suit. 

The message read, and I quote: “Dude, hope all is magic on your side and you’re loving your Toyota! Please can you send me your video and article?”

And then for seven seconds, I went completely blank. What video and article is this oke looking for? About what? Where am I? What’s going on? And then hit me! This is about RUNNING! But I haven’t been running in what feels like decades! The last thing I can remember about running was fighting for my life somewhere between PMB and Durban, convinced I was never going to make the 12-hour cut-off. 

How am I going to produce a video AND an article for Modern Athlete on running when I don’t even know where my running shoes are? And then I remembered the last time we chatted was before the Comrades Marathon, so technically I HAVE been running since I last put my thoughts on this very page, so I’ll tell you about that 89.98km run!

Champions, I’m not going to lie or candy-coat anything; the 8th of June 2025 was one of the toughest days of my life. We’re all friends here, so I’ll tell you how it started. With about 30 minutes until the start, my tummy started saying it needed to go! As runners, we all know that desperate feeling.

Now I’m 14 million people deep in a starting pen, and there is absolutely no chance I’m getting out and finding a portaloo and then getting back in time. So, I decided to hold it. I mean, there’ll be toilets somewhere during the first few kilometres, surely?

And, as luck would have it, there were portaloos about 5km into the race. And they were positioned right on a corner where there was a massive crowd of people cheering. Nothing better than an audience as you prepare to let loose. I dropped a gear, put on my indicator and pulled off the road. There was a queue at the toilets. Of course, there was. So, I had to wait. 

I eventually had my turn. What a relief. I sat there, almost forgetting I still had 85km to run. Not sure how long I was in there, as I think I zoned out at the relief of it all. And then I heard it. It was so loud, it made me jump up. It was silent. I was sitting in a portaloo on Comrades Marathon race day and couldn’t hear anyone. 

I opened the door and as I reinstated myself back into reality, I realised there were absolutely no runners left. I was now literally right at the back. As in, I was stone last. And it’s not like the other runners were close either. They were at least a kilometre ahead as I looked up the hill that awaited me. 

But that wasn’t the worst of it. The stress and anxiety of being last of over 20,000 runners was the least of my worries. As I came out from behind the row of portaloos, and wanted to just slip back into the race quietly without anyone noticing me, I heard the crowds erupt! It was like I had just won the whole race! The cheering was next level. 

And then it hit me: They all knew I was in there, and they were waiting for me to come out. But how long was I even in that portaloo? Where was I? Who was I? At that point, I hardly knew, but one thing’s for sure. I had never before the 8th of June 2025, been applauded for having a poo! I love you. 2-nils. 

Want to read more columns from Rory?

April Column : Champions, Rory has an important message for all of you, we have all done it, run that race we shouldn’t for one reason or another. His story serves as a warning to all of you, as much as you think you can, sometimes you shouldn’t.

The Running Comic: As one of the funniest guys of running in South Africa, Rory Petzer is almost always laughing (in between eating)… except in the 2022 Comrades. He reckons he had nothing to smile about that day! 

Dylan Rogers: A Comrades Convo with my Dad

Roxanne MartinColumns, NewsLeave a Comment on Dylan Rogers: A Comrades Convo with my Dad

Dylan Rogers is a sports journalist with Johannesburg radio station HOT 102.7FM and part of the Big Joburg Drive Show, which you can catch 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday on either 102.7FM or streaming on hot1027.co.za. He’ll be running his first Comrades Marathon in August, after accepting a dare from a friend, who has pledged to donate R500 to charity for every kilometre of Comrades that Dylan is able to complete. This is a special podcast where Dylan chats to his Dad ahead of his first Comrades Marathon.

Road to Comrades with Dylan Rogers, part 4

Sean FalconerColumnsLeave a Comment on Road to Comrades with Dylan Rogers, part 4

Dylan Rogers is a sports journalist with Johannesburg radio station HOT 102.7FM and part of the Big Joburg Drive Show, which you can catch 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday on either 102.7FM or streaming on hot1027.co.za. He’ll be running his first Comrades Marathon in August, after accepting a dare from a friend, who has pledged to donate R500 to charity for every kilometre of Comrades that Dylan is able to complete. This is the fourth of Dylan’s regular blogs about his journey to the Comrades.

So, a real range of emotions the past week or so, having picked up flu and sitting out training. At first, it was a relatively mild inconvenience and I didn’t mind the rest too much, but then the anxiety set in, before my mind was eased by coach Lindsey Parry, who told me not to sweat it – which is what I was obviously doing, both literally and figuratively.

So, back to feeling okay about missing training and enjoying the lie-ins, but then the weekend hit and my running WhatsApp groups lit up with pics, chats and video of the RAC 60km Long Run that I was due to run, and the fomo set in properly! Fomo, because I knew that all of those who got through that slog would now be so much more mentally prepared for Comrades, and I wasn’t.

That being said, I’ve been blown away by the encouraging words from so many different people, with just about everyone telling me not to fret and to remember the miles I already have in my legs. Sound advice, and it’s just going to take some tweaking from here, as I combine my taper with actually getting back on the road.

Perhaps even more frustrating is that I sit here feeling relatively fine, but with an annoying dry cough that just won’t go away and makes my head explode every time the latest bit of gob lodges in my throat and forces me to cough! (Sorry, I know it’s a bit gross.) It’s also meant I’ve had some ropey nights’ sleep, so that’s not ideal, either. Anyway, I’ve been urged to not rush back onto the road, and I think I’m naturally conservative, so I’ll heed the advice.

A Bit of Sad News

Was disappointed to hear one of my running mates, Byron Hardy, say this week that he’s pulling the plug on his Comrades campaign. I think the ‘Ginger’ has got a great base, but he also got sick a few weeks ago, and that put him out for two weeks, before he was away for another 10 days, and he’s not feeling up to it. So, I respect his decision.

All I can say, though, is that the two idiots who talked me into Comrades in the first place, Byron and Matt Archer, are now both out, leaving me on my own! I will miss Matt’s looks of fatherly disappointment when I tell him of my latest rookie running error, and Byron’s pep talks when I go to my dark places, particularly his reminders that running marathons is easy, compared to being Ukrainian and being bombed by Russians. Thanks, boys.

Road to Comrades with Dylan Rogers, part 3

Sean FalconerColumnsLeave a Comment on Road to Comrades with Dylan Rogers, part 3

Dylan Rogers is a sports journalist with Johannesburg radio station HOT 102.7FM and part of the Big Joburg Drive Show, which you can catch 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday on either 102.7FM or streaming on hot1027.co.za. He’ll be running his first Comrades Marathon in August, after accepting a dare from a friend, who has pledged to donate R500 to charity for every kilometre of Comrades that Dylan is able to complete. This is the third of Dylan’s blogs about his journey to the Comrades.

So, I know it’s part of the journey, but it’s tough not getting anxious or worrying about your Comrades prep when you get injured or sick – particularly when you’re a novice. That’s what I’ve been dealing with recently, having picked up a bug the day after a big weekend that saw me clock up 18km on the Saturday and 33 on the Sunday.

That Sunday stretch with my mate, Karl, was tough, and I certainly felt it – I was pretty ‘done’ and rundown for the rest of the day. Perhaps no surprise that I picked up a bug the day after? It was just a reminder about the perils of training for Comrades through winter, which I guess I haven’t really noticed, because it’s my first one and I don’t have anything to compare it with. I think I’m lucky in that regard, because the more seasoned runners out there are probably asking, “what the hell am I doing training so hard in the cold and dark?”

Fortunately, Lindsey Parry talked me off the ledge, as my main concern was not being in the right shape to take on the RAC 60km Long Run, which is obviously a key part in my programme – perhaps more mentally than anything. As it stands, I’m unsure if I will line up, but feel more comfortable now, knowing that if I don’t, I will be back on the horse next week and getting stuck into my programme, with a long one at the end of it.

I see now why these long ones are so important, as not only do you have to get used to running on sore, tired legs, as I’ve alluded to before, but you’ve got to experience, endure and cope with the ups and downs of how you feel on these long runs. Sometimes it feels crap, and sometimes you feel great, but again, it’s the experience of knowing that this is all normal, and you’re not alone in feeling like this.

My concern remains my overall strength, and the strength of my legs, as I haven’t done as much of this kind of work as I would have liked, but all I can do is what’s possible. Again, another reminder that Comrades is a proper commitment, and it’s certainly not a piece of cake fitting it into other areas and commitments in your life.

Nonetheless, this week has been a sobering experience, and if I’m honest, I have enjoyed taking my foot off the gas slightly, not getting up early, and just parking my running, waiting for myself to get better. Am hoping my body will thank me for it and I’ll be properly back on the horse next week, if I can’t get to the start line at RAC. Onward and upward!

 

Ed’s World Champs Blog: Terrific 200s – Brought to you by PUMA

Sean FalconerColumnsLeave a Comment on Ed’s World Champs Blog: Terrific 200s – Brought to you by PUMA

Right, I’m sitting down to write this World Champs blog just after watching two incredible 200m finals, which wrapped up the programme for day seven of the Champs in Eugene, and I’m still buzzing. – BY SEAN FALCONER

The 200m sprint often plays second fiddle to the 100m at the big meets, like Olympics and World Champs, because the shorter sprint is seen by many as the premier event of athletics, the one that gets all the media coverage, and crowns the king of athletics. Ask the average Joe spectator of the big athletics meets who won the 100m and they get the answer right, but the 200m? Chances are they won’t know. It’s not that the 200m is ignored or forgotten, it’s that the 100m just gets more hype and coverage. But there is something really special about the 200m.

Where the 100m is about raw speed and power (on top of the intricacies of starting, maintaining form, not tensing up, etc), the 200m brings in a tricky technical aspect with the running of the curve in the first half of the race, followed by the proverbial million dollar question: Which athletes can maintain top speed most consistently in for the second half. For that reason, watching the heat maps of each athlete in the live coverage was fascinating, seeing which athletes decelerated the least as they hit the last 50 metres. While running is (supposedly) a simple sport – you just one foot in front of the other as quickly as you can – there is also a fascinatingly intricate technical side to every event in the sport, from the 100m to ultra-distance races.

Local Hero Does Us Proud

Before I talk about the winners, I first want to say a few words about our own Luxolo Adams. I was absolutely thrilled to see him lining up for the men’s 200m final in an absolutely stellar line-up. As I wrote in yesterday’s blog, he has had an amazing season, breaking through the 20-second barrier and winning a Diamond League title in Paris, and now he’s appeared in his first global final. Just as is the case with Akani Simbine making 100m finals at this level, it’s a far cry from not so very long ago when we didn’t have any South African sprinters performing at that kind of level. Now to have a finalist in both the 100m and the 200m at this World Champs, added to other success the country has enjoyed in sprints and relays in recent years, really warms this South African heart!

I know some may point to the fact that Luxolo finished eighth out of eight finalists, and that his time of 20:47 was a little disappointing, given that he clocked 20.09 in the semi-final and ran that 19.82 less than a month ago, but one has to factor in that finals are super tense, with athletes making extra sure that they do not false start and get DQed after doing all the hard yards to make the final. Also, the final is usually the third race in jus ta few days for these athletes, so there is also a fatigue factor that can affect times. All that said, I choose to focus on Luxolo making his first global final, and I hope it is just the first of more to come.

Winners Totally Dominate

Now to the winners. In the women’s race, Jamaican Shericka Jackson proved that her 21.67 in the semi-final was no fluke as she went still faster in the final, clocking 21.45 to not only shatter her 20.55 PB, set in the Jamaican Champs less than a month earlier, but she became the fastest woman alive over 200m by clocking the fastest time since the late Florence ‘Flo Jo’ Griffith Joyner set the World Record of 21.34 way back in 1988. Jackson has often played ‘bridesmaid’ or supporting cast to her Jamaican compatriots, five-time World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and four-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah – she finished third, behind them, in the 100m final at these World Champs – but today she ruled supreme, and her post-race celebrations were a joy to watch.

Then came the men’s 200m final, and the USA’s Noah Lyles successfully defended the title he won at the 2019 World Champs in Doha – and probably also redeemed himself, in his own eyes, for ‘only’ winning bronze at the Olympics last year. Like Jackson, he also looked unbeatable as he led home US compatriots Kenneth Bednarek (19.77) and Erriyon Knighton (19.80) for another American clean-sweep of the podium, as they did in the men’s 100m final. But it was Lyle’s winning time that really stood out. Coming into the final, his personal best was the 19.50 he ran in 2019, and his season best for 2022 thus far was the 19.61 he ran in New York in June, but he blew the final away with a new PB 19.31, which moved him up to third place on the all-time list for the 200m. Only Jamaicans Usain Bolt (19.19 & 19.30) and Yohan Blake (19.26) have ever gone faster.

After he won and realised just how fast he had managed to go, Lyle ripped the top of his running suit as he celebrated. To be honest, I am not always a fan of the way some athletes behave on the track, especially the sprinters, and especially the Americans, but this time I was OK with it. The performance merited going a little crazy.

Catching My Breath

Now we have three days of competition left, and there is still a lot to look forward to. Last night Prudence Sekgodiso made it into the semi-final round of the women’s 800m, taking place later today, as will be the heats of the men’s 4x100m relay, where we hope our SA men can do make it through to the final, but the big one has to be Wayde van Niekerk in the men’s 400m final. And the mouth-watering women’s 400m hurdles will round out the programme. So that’s where I will be in the early hours of the morning.

Image: World Athletics

Ed’s World Champs Blog: Personal Highlights – Brought to you by PUMA

Sean FalconerColumnsLeave a Comment on Ed’s World Champs Blog: Personal Highlights – Brought to you by PUMA

So, we’re coming up for day 7 of the World Athletics Champs in Eugene in the USA, and what a Champs it has turned out to be. I’ve seen various colleagues, friends and other fans of track and field on social media talking about goosebumps, and getting emotional, as they’ve watched the action live – even when it required staying up till the early hours of the morning to catch the action live. – BY SEAN FALCONER

There is a nine-hour time difference between SA and Eugene, Oregon, on the West Coast of the USA, so the evening sessions of the World Champs generally start around 2am our time, and continue till 5am or 6am, so I reckon there are a few rather sleep-deprived athletics fans this side of the Atlantic after a week of action.

Yes, there were a few issues with some athletes not able to get to the USA due to VISA issues, but in general, this has been a terrific meet. I’m not even going to try to list all the top performances here, as there have been so many, but I would like to mention some personal highlights that I particularly enjoyed.

  • I take my hat off to Akani Simbine for reaching yet another global 100m final. I know he will be bitterly disappointed to have finished fifth, having also narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2017 World Champs (fifth), 2016 Olympics (fifth), 2019 World Champs (fourth) and 2021 Olympics (fourth), but it shows just how much he has done to raise the bar of men’s sprinting in this country. It wasn’t so long ago that we still didn’t have any sub-10-second runners in this country, and the prospects of a South African making a World Champs or Olympic 100m final was so beyond our wildest dreams. Akani has been a genuine medal contender at every big meet since 2017, and for that alone he deserves huge praise.
  • Staying with the sprints, it has been phenomenal to see the rapid emergence of Luxolo Adams as a world class sprinter this year. He’s been bubbling just under the top level until now, but found his best form just before the World Champs, with his scintillating 19.82 in the Diamond League meet in Paris. Now he is in the men’s 200m final at the World Champs! I don’t think anybody would have predicted that if asked just a few months ago.
  • And of course, at the risk of repeating myself, hasn’t it been fantastic to see Wayde van Niekerk fit and racing again? And even better, back in a global final, where he belongs! That freak knee injury a few years back – in a charitable touch rugby game, of all places – looked like it may have wrecked his career, and many of us wondered if he would ever get back to the shape that saw him win the 2016 Olympic and 2017 World 400m titles, and set that amazing World Record of 43.03 seconds. Even if he doesn’t quite get to that same level as 2016 again – after all, he is six years older now – it remains a privilege to watch him running what is often referred to as the most brutal event on the track.

Anyhoo, enough rambling from me for one blog, let’s look ahead to see what’s coming up next.

Day 7 (21 July) – Afternoon Session

SA Time     US Time     Event                                          Round

02:05          17:05          Men’s Javelin Throw                    Qualification – Group A

02:10          17:10          Women’s 800m                            Heats

03:10          18:10          Men’s 5000m                               Heats

03:20          18:20          Men’s Triple Jump                       Qualification

03:35          18:35          Men’s Javelin Throw                    Qualification – Group B

04:00          19:00          Men’s 800m                                 Semi-Final

04:35          19:35          Women’s 200m                            Final

04:50          19:50          Men’s 200m                                 Final

 

Day 8 (22 July) – Morning Session

SA Time     US Time     Event                                          Round

15:15          06:15          Women’s 35km Race Walk           Final

 

Day 8 (22 July) – Afternoon Session

SA Time     US Time     Event                                          Round

02:05          17:05          Men’s Pole Vault                         Qualification

02:40          17:40          Women’s 4x100m Relay               Heats

03:05          18:05          Men’s 4x100m Relay                    Heats

03:20          18:20          Women’s Javelin Throw               Final

03:35          18:35          Women’s 800m                            Semi-Final

04:15          19:15          Women’s 400m                            Final

04:35          19:35          Men’s 400m                                 Final

04:50          19:50          Women’s 400m Hurdles               Final

 

SOUTH AFRICANS IN ACTION…

Watch for our local heroes in the following events:

 

Day 7 – Afternoon Session

Men’s Javelin Qualifiers

Group A – Johan Grobler

Women’s 800m Qualifiers

Heat 5 – Prudence Sekgodiso

Men’s 5000m Qualifiers

Heat 1 – Adriaan Wildschutt

Heat 2 – Precious Mashele

Men’s 200m Final

Luxolo Adams

 

Day 8 – Afternoon Session

Men’s 400m Final

Wayde van Niekerk

 

Enjoy the viewing, and chat later again.

(Image: courtesy World Athletics)