We already knew Ryan Rickelton had figured out how to use different techniques for different formats, with success. In the space of two weeks earlier this year, he went from batting for 10 hours and scoring a double-century in a Test to blitzing 89 off 39 balls. Now, he has added the third string to his bow with his first ODI century, which anchored South Africa's Champions Trophy opener.
They looked nothing like the side that had lost six matches on the bounce and that's because they are not that side. For the first time since the 2023 World Cup, South Africa have their best available players at their disposal and it is now clear Rickelton is firmly established among them. Bear in mind that he may not even have played if Heinrich Klaasen was not strugglingwith an elbow niggle, and it shows how congested the line-up is and makes Rickelton's progression even more impressive.
In this innings, Rickelton showed his dominance in the way he paced the knock and the areas he was able to score in and did that while hiding the nerves of playing his first match at an ICC event. Tasked with opening the batting, he was quickly striking at close to 100 and took pressure off Temba Bavuma, who was at No.3 this time, and typically takes a bit more time to get himself in. He maintained that scoring rate throughout his innings and finished with close to a run-a-ball 103, off 106 balls.
Over half of those runs - 53 - were scored square of the pitch as Rickelton cut and pulled with Afghanistan going too short. Another third, 35 - were in the 'V' down the ground, an illustration of how well he moved his feet, especially against the spinners, who were disappointing in the lack of threat they offered. A lot of it was deliberately planned for the conditions, which South Africa have got used to after spending a week there post the tri-series (where they were booted out before the final).
"Here in Karachi having had that practice game...here wickets can be quite skiddy, so as a group we emphasise trying to hit a lot straighter," Rickelton said in the post-match press conference. "I'm trying to emphasise hitting a lot straighter for a lot longer just because if it skids you can obviously get bowled or lbw quite easily. There wasn't a lot of lateral movement either so it gave me the opportunity to really lunge forward and look to hit hard down the ground, which I've been kind of doing for a period of time now."
Strategies are one thing but executing them is another and Rickelton's ability to play the way he has planned to have been outstanding in the last few months. It would do him a disservice to simply call it a purple patch because it is the result of seasons of hard work and detailed thinking about the game before distilling it down to its essence. "I'm at the point where I'm just really trying to simplify my batting. I have quite a nice foundation and I always want to be a three-format player, so to have that base is quite nice," Rickelton said. "To see the results in the three different formats over the last two months has been quite warming for me as well. When I dumb it down a little bit for even myself is just trying to obviously emphasise mindset and approach."
That means playing to the same strengths he already has but just adjusting for conditions, formats and opposition. "If you look at the guys that play three formats really well, like Travis Head, Shubman Gill, they all play similar cricket across all three formats. I'm really just trying to keep it simple, be confident in the way I'm trying to play and obviously look to make an impact."
Unprompted, Rickelton put himself in the same sentence as Head and Gill which perhaps speaks to the confidence he has himself at this stage. Others have mentioned him as the natural successor to Quinton de Kock, especially as he also keeps wicket. Even after just one game, you'd argue that he has made himself undroppable at this tournament and once Klaasen is fit again, South Africa will have a small selection conundrum. If they pick on form, Tony de Zorzi is most likely to be benched. That would be unfortunate for a player South Africa had been backing to take over the opening spot, but it would be necessary in the context of their horses-for-courses approach at major tournaments.
South Africa are laser-focused on winning one, so much so that bilateral results hardly matter. Between the ODI World Cup and this tournament, they lost three out of four series, including one to Afghanistan. At the Champions Trophy that didn't matter. South Africa thrashed Afghanistan and have set themselves up for a path to the semi-finals. Beyond that, they believe anything is possible even though they are being careful not to count their trophy before they actually get their hands on it.
"We are desperate to win it. There's no doubt about it. But in saying that, we don't burden ourselves with that extra pressure," Rickelton said. "As a group, we might not have had the best results coming into this tournament, but quietly, I think everyone's quite confident. We do have incredibly good players in the whole squad as well. We want to win but we don't let that restrict us. We're here to play our best game, have fun and enjoy each other's company."
So far, so good.