3 reasons why South Africa must pick Ryan Rickelton for the T20 World Cup
South African wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton has been in excellent form for MI Cape Town in the ongoing SA20. In three innings, he has smashed 243 at an average of 81 and a strike rate of 182.71. He's the leading run-getter in the T20 competition.
The 27-year-old kicked off his SA20 campaign by hammering 87 off 51 against Durban Super Giants in Durban. His whirlwind knock featured six sixes and as many fours. His knock went in vain, though, as Durban Super Giants registered a 11-run win (DLS Method).
The left-hander starred with 98 off 49 in MI Cape Town’s next game against Joburg Super Kings. He struck six fours and eight sixes as MI Cape Town posted 243-5 and registered a thumping win by 98 runs.
The opening batter slammed his third consecutive fifty in SA20, contributing 58 off 33 against Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Cape Town, but MI Cape Town went down by four runs.
The SA20 is being viewed as a good platform for players to push for a place in the national squad, keeping the 2024 T20 World Cup in mind. On that note, we analyze three reasons why South Africa must pick Rickelton for the ICC event.
#1 Rickelton could prove to be a good choice with uncertainty over opening slots
Quinton de Kock had a terrific ODI World Cup in India last year, which ironically came after he had announced that he would retire from the format after the ICC event.
The left-hander is still active in T20Is, but doubts remain over his availability for the World Cup. Last year, white-ball coach Rob Walter had confirmed that De Kock wanted to quit international cricket completely but was persuaded to stay on.
Even if he's available, there's still confusion over the other opener. Reeza Hendricks is a strong contender but has been in and out of the playing XI many times.
With so much uncertainty over the top-order batters, South Africa would do well to bring in Rickelton into the mix, considering his excellent current form.
The keeper-batter’s MI Cape Town teammate Rassie van der Dussen also has similar thoughts. Praising Rickelton, he was recently quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo:
"Quinny (de Kock) will be moving on, and Ryan fits into that mould of someone who can replace Quinny. He definitely has the game. He's very resilient, and, sometimes, setbacks give you a platform to come back.”
Van der Dussen added that if the left-hander keeps scoring runs consistently, it will be difficult to ignore him.
#2 South Africa need as many explosive batters as possible in their line-up
The T20 format is all about slam-bang cricket. A team needs players that can attack from the first ball to the last. In other words, they need as many explosive batters as possible in the batting line-up, who can go out and throw their bats at almost everything.
It sounds easier said than done, though. Playing ultra-aggressive cricket needs special skills, which is why all talented batters do not succeed in the format. You need a certain X factor like the one India’s Suryakumar Yadav or South Africa’s AB de Villiers have had.
If we look at the Proteas’ current T20I squad, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller are two batters whose games are perfectly suited to the format. Both have won many games in the middle order.
It would be unfair to place Rickelton is the same bracket as Klaasen and Miller. But, when it comes to big-hitting, he's definitely among the most dangerous in South African cricket as of now.
#3 He has the experience to succeed on the big stage
Rickelton has played only four Tests and two ODIs, scoring 165 and 17 runs respectively. However, he has decent experience in the T20 format and will be expected to lift his game for South Africa in the 20-over format.
The 27-year-old, who made his T20 debut in 2017, has the experience of 67 games, scoring 1,495 runs at an average of 24.91 and a strike rate of 130.79 with nine half-centuries.
The numbers are not exceptional, but, lately, Rickelton has shown plenty of improvement in his game. It just seems like the right time to blood him into the national T20I squad, especially with an eye on the World Cup.