South Africa sprung a surprise when they left out Tristan Stubbs from their 2026 T20 World Cup squad, instead picking up Jason Smith in his place. Here’s why.
South Africa's T20 World Cup squad announcement featured several eye-catching picks and exclusions. Ryan Rickelton, who made a century in his first SA20 knock of the season, was left out in place of Tony de Zorzi, currently recovering from a hamstring injury. To the relief of South Africa fans, Kagiso Rabada was included despite a rib complaint. And, perhaps most intriguingly, 31-year-old Jason Smith was selected over Tristan Stubbs.
On the face of it, it's a decision that is tricky to understand. Stubbs, 25, has long been rated as one of the most exciting young batters in world cricket, and has been a mainstay for South Africa in T20I cricket in recent times while also making strides in Test and ODI cricket. He has earned bumper deals in the Indian Premier League and justified them with his performances, averaging over 50 and striking above 170 in the last two seasons of the competition, rated as T20 cricket's highest quality. With the T20 World Cup to be played in India and Sri Lanka, Stubbs' experience in India could have been tempting.
Smith, meanwhile, has played just two T20Is for South Africa, and is not yet a regular in the SA20, South Africa's premier T20 tournament. He has played six games in the competition, with a high score of 41, and is yet to feature in a franchise competition outside of his home country. So what explains South Africa's decision?
Why has Jason Smith edged ahead of Tristan Stubbs in the T20 WC squad?
Smith's overall record is unremarkable. He has played 95 T20s, averaging 29.96 with a strike rate of 128.30. There has not yet been a standout international knock. He has played only two T20Is - against West Indies and Namibia - and has a strike rate of 102.77 in the format. But since then, he has hit a hot streak, in both SA20 and the CSA T20 Challenge, the tier below.
Smith has averaged almost 50 and struck at north of 200 since the start of the 2025/26 domestic season, with several eye-catching innings in there. A highlight knock was his 19-ball 68* against the Titans in the CSA T20 Challenge in a reduced-overs game. He also hit 41 off 14 in an SA20 game for MI Cape Town. Meanwhile, Stubbs has hit a poor patch of form at the wrong time. He hasn't made it to 40 since the end of IPL 2025, and was dropped during the recent T20I series against India, after making 14 and nine.
Smith has also picked up 33 wickets at an average of 22.3 with his medium pace, although his bowling has been limited of late. He did not bowl a single delivery in 2025 - partly due to a niggle sustained in the latter half of the year. However, he can always be called upon if the team needs an extra option, which seemingly furthered his case. Smith is in form while Stubbs is not, and adds flexibility, which makes him the man for right now.
South Africa will begin their campaign in the T20 World Cup on February 9, against Canada at Ahmedabad.
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