Image source– Sportslumo.com
The role of an opening batter in this beautiful game of cricket is as vital as world peace in war ridden times which have been dampening us for some time now akin to dark clouds over a serene lake.
They are the most pivotal pillar in the batting line up and often lay the foundation for other batters to follow and build.
Their ability to absorb pressure and score runs consistently is essential, particularly in longer formats like Test cricket, where a solid start can lead to a dominant position.
In limited-overs, openers are often tasked with playing aggressively to capitalize on fielding restrictions, igniting momentum for the team.
Well, South Africa over the years have had some prized openers of their own, the likes of astute right handers in Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hudson, Hashim Amla and the elegant and gritty southpaws in Gary Kirsten, Graeme Smithand Dean Elgar, all of whom have time and again sparked the Proteas with runs galore for the world to marvel.
With this being said, another name in the aforementioned esteemed company who has been a bed rock of aggressive stroke play for the last decade or so particularly in the limited overs format is the great Quinton de Kock.
This pocket dynamite has more often than not paved the way for the Proteas to pile runs aplenty through his enthralling stroke play and has also kept wickets with certainty galore for them.
A perfect two in one talent
Perhaps that’s the reason, when he announced his retirement from ODI cricket last year and an impending walk away from T20Is looming, the Proteas have had a void too big to fill.
The search for an aggressive stroke maker and a reliable keeper who can set the tone for the team to follow?
So it seems, the answer has come in the form of Johannesburg born left-hander keeper-bat, Ryan Rickelton.
A like for like replacement for Quinton, Ryan Rickelton, a well-built individual who, one reckons resembles current WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes, has been scoring runs aplenty in the South African domestic circuit, having already piled up north of 4,000 at an average just shy of 50 in the 4-day format.
He has also got exposure to England’s country circuit, having scored two hundreds and four fifties for Northamptonshire in the 2022 season.
Ryan’s limited overs exploits are also worth a mention, being the highest scorer in this year’s SA20 (South Africa’s version of the IPL), amassing 530 runs at a whopping average of 58 and a mouth-watering strike-rate of 174.
In addition to these praise-worthy feats, Rickelton has also soared in the run charts in South Africa’s domestic T-20 competition this year, the CSA T20 Challenge.
With a pedigree of domestic achievements, this southpaw has now began to flourish on the international stage, having finally made his mark in the recently concluded T20I and ODI series against Ireland.
Yes, his 76 of just 48 deliveries was crucial for the Proteas to bring home the first T20I against the Irish by a massive eight-wickets.
To top it up, Ryan Rickelton’s pumping engine didn’t just stop there as he showed his mettle even in the One Day Internationals with a decisive 91 in the first of three, ensuring South Africa win the honours and the series 2-1.
Having soared on the run making axis in the limited overs format and the Proteas all but sticking with him in the opening position, this gifted left-hander would now want to make it count even in the Test whites.
In his five outings so far in the longest format, Ryan Rickelton is yet to score a test fifty and has just managed a paltry 184 runs at a meek average of 23.
Truth be told, his exploits are yet nascent in the five-day format and he would undoubtedly want to improve on these numbers as his team sets sail to the shores of Bangladesh for a two-match series.
With the talent being evidently noticeable to cricketing pundits and fans alike, one would certainly hope Ryan David Rickelton keeps his intensity and focus going enroute to playing in the green and gold of South Africa for many seasons to come.
