Tristan Stubbs stakes massive Proteas claim as he enters pantheon of first-class triple centurions

Regardless of who they are scored against, first-class triple hundreds matter, which is why Tristan Stubbs' effort for the Warriors against the KwaZulu-Natal Inland Tuskers on Thursday, is hugely significant.

Stubbs' 372-ball effort at the City Oval is the ninth 300-plus score by a South African batter on these shores and the 14th overall, with the superlative, unbeaten 302 buttressing the Warriors' 517/3 on the second day of a light-afflicted match in Pietermaritzburg.

South Africa's batting stocks may indeed come under pressure, especially after the New Zealand Test series loss and the 55 all out debacle of a Test against India at Newlands at the start of the year, but Stubbs is now the third South African batter on the circuit currently with a first-class 300.