- ‘To come back to a ground where I have had success is comforting for me’ – Ryan Rickelton ahead of decisive Ce Town Test The Proteas wicketkeeper-batter reflects on his strong record at the venue ahead of the third Test against Australia starting on Tuesday.
- (Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images/) Ryan Rickelton has been delighted to return to Newlands for the third Test against Australia, which begins on Tuesday.
- The Proteas wicketkeeper-batter has established a strong record at the venue through both domestic and international cricket, and he reflected on the significance of playing at a ground where he has enjoyed considerable success.
‘To come back to a ground where I have had success is comforting for me’ – Ryan Rickelton ahead of decisive Ce Town Test The Proteas wicketkeeper-batter reflects on his strong record at the venue ahead of the third Test against Australia starting on Tuesday.
(Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images/) Ryan Rickelton has been delighted to return to Newlands for the third Test against Australia, which begins on Tuesday. The Proteas wicketkeeper-batter has established a strong record at the venue through both domestic and international cricket, and he reflected on the significance of playing at a ground where he has enjoyed considerable success. Rickelton said his familiarity with Newlands spans multiple formats.
He explained the value of returning to a venue where he has performed well, noting that batters often draw confidence from grounds where they have established themselves. “I walked out here and I said to Kruger (van Wyk, Proteas fielding coach), ‘It’s good to be home,'” Rickelton told reporters on Sunday. “I think a lot of batters know their venues where they do well, and whether that’s through domestic or international cricket.
To come back to a ground where I’m very familiar with both red-ball and white-ball cricket, and where I’ve had some good success, is quite comforting for me. You kind of take that into account no matter how well you’re playing or where you are, where you are. But coming back to a familiar place, a place of success, recent success but also past success, is something that I think batsmen and players have a lot of confidence in and can learn from,” he added.
Rickelton’s record at Newlands highlights his wellbeing there. Against Pakistan, he scored a career-best 259, spending 10 hours in the New Year sun to build the innings in 343 balls, hitting 29 boundaries and three sixes. In three first-class matches at Newlands he never went past a century without scoring, a remarkable consistency that reflects his familiarity with the conditions and character of the pitch.
Beyond Test cricket, Rickelton achieved considerable success for MI Ce Town in the four seasons of the SA20, deepening his connection to the venue and the city. This mix of red and white ball success at Newlands is giving him a wealth of positive experiences as he prepares for the crucial Test. The shift in Rickelton’s role in the Proteas from first to middle order has hpened recently.
He opened the batting for two years before being moved to the middle order in the previous Test at St George’s Park, where he also took over the wicketkeeping duties from Kyle Verreynne. The move to the middle order has brought about a change in his proach and mentality. Reflecting on his time as an opener, Rickelton recognized the demands of playing at the top of Test cricket.
He described the first set as particularly difficult, requiring discipline and restraint quite different from that of mediocre batsmen. Also Read: ‘I’m good to go’ – Cameron Green declares fit for 3rd South Africa vs Australia Test, but there’s a catch: “Opening the batting in Test cricket sucks.” It’s really hard.
And after batting a lot in the middle and then moving on to the opening bat, I have a lot of respect for people who have carried their bat as an opener throughout their careers. Yes, it is difficult and I see that people like Aiden (Markram), who is a pretty skilled player, have a lot of self-control. He’s still one of those guys who looks to score, but his ability to hold himself back is what it comes down to.
In South Africa it might be a lot easier in the middle class,” Rickelton said. “The older the ball gets, the more tired the bowlers get. Of course, you can make your proach a little more expressive.
But I think that after jumping around, I’ve gone one through six for this team and experienced all the roles. The opening is definitely the most difficult, and I think at times it was a little hard for me to hold back, myself included. But now that I am in the middle order, I don’t think you can just give up here, especially in an attack like this,” he added.
