Stubbs made 27 off 20 in the second T20I against Australia ©Getty
One lasted a single delivery, an away swinger he thought he was driving into the covers before it took the outside edge and flew into the wicketkeeper's gloves. The other dashed and dazzled for 27 off 20 - not a conclusive or commanding innings but fast, furious fun while it lasted.
Dewald Brevis, he of the first-baller, courtesy of the rasping Nathan Ellis, stalked off head held steady; secure in the knowledge that his immense promise will buy him many more opportunities, as it should. Tristan Stubbs, who helped more than double his team's total in a stand of 51 with Aiden Markram, swore at himself in ways only South Africans would understand after he was bowled attempting a too early, too cute reverse scoop to Jason Behrendorff.
In this country the fuss over rising cricketers is usually reserved for fast bowlers. It's been that way since Neil Adcock and Peter Heine put the frighteners on batters in the 1950s, and all the way through Peter Pollock, Mike Procter, Allan Donald and Kagiso Rabada, among many others.
So for not one but two young batters to be the South African cricketminded public's prime focus is rare. Gerald Coetzee is exciting and we're still finding out what Marco Jansen can do with bat as well as ball, but how about those two magnificents in the making, Brevis and Stubbs?
The question wasn't uppermost for long at Kingsmead on Friday, when Australia proved their T20I superiority over South Africa by winning
