He batted for eight hours and 19 minutes, facing 372 balls to score 302*.
Tristan Stubbs has become the 11th batsman to score a first-class triple century in South Africa, and the eighth since the country's re-introduction to the game. The achievement is a major boost for the Test side. Currently, Stubbs is the leading run-scorer in Division 1 of the domestic four-day competition, having scored two centuries in five matches.
Stubbs made his Test debut in the New Year's Test against India last month. He was also part of the South Africa A squad that toured Sri Lanka in July and his century in Colombo suggested he was ready to move up to the senior side. Batting at number four in the absence of injured Temba Bavuma, he made 3 and 1 in a match that lasted just two days, but South Africa lost by seven wickets.
Stubbs was contracted to play in the SA20 rather than the Test series in New Zealand, like many first-choice Test players. Despite this, he had a successful tournament, finishing as the leading run-scorer for Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who won the title for the second time. He scored 301 runs, including three half-centuries, and achieved a strike rate of 168.15. Impressively, less than two weeks after lifting the trophy, Stubbs has demonstrated that he can maintain this level of play over a longer period.
He batted for eight hours and 19 minutes, facing 372 balls for his 302* as the Warriors declared on 517 for 3 against Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland. Neither side has a chance of reaching next week's final. The Warriors are currently fifth on the log, while KZN Inland is at the bottom.
The match also marked the return to action of Mondli Khumalo, who last played in February 2022 while recovering from injuries sustained in an assault in the United Kingdom. Khumalo underwent four rounds of surgery and was cleared to play a year later. He returned to North Petherton Cricket Club in Somerset for the northern hemisphere summer. He was the only wicket-taker in his first match for his home team since the incident. Khumalo bowled 25 overs, taking 3 for 92. He will continue to play club cricket in England this year while nurturing dreams of higher honours.
Stubbs could become an all-format international in the next few months. Already a regular in the T20s and in demand in the leagues, he could also add to his solitary ODI cap as South Africa builds towards the 2027 World Cup and should be part of the immediate Test plans.
South Africa's upcoming Test fixtures include a two-Test series in the West Indies in August, followed by two matches in Bangladesh in October. The team will then play home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan to conclude the 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle. Bavuma is expected to return to captain the side, but with Dean Elgar retiring, Tony de Zorzi (the last batsman to score a triple century for South Africa) is expected to move up to opener, potentially creating an opening for Stubbs in the middle order.