Ryan Rickelton keeping it simple as he looks to become 'three-format player'

By Nasri Alexander
22nd February 2025

Ryan Rickelton is well on his way to becoming the 'three-format player' that he craves after hitting his maiden ODI century in the Proteas' victory over Afghanistan in their Champions Trophy opener.

The 28-year-old showed he has the patience and stamina for Test cricket after a 10-hour marathon innings in January, scoring 259 against Pakistan at Newlands.

The left-handed batter then excelled in the shortest format with 336 runs in eight innings at a strike-rate of more than 178 for MI Cape Town in season three of the SA20.

On Friday in Karachi, Rickelton played at the perfect tempo in the 50-over format to score 103 off 106 balls to help the Proteas to a total of 315-6 before the bowlers did the damage as Afghanistan were blown away for 215 for a comprehensive 107-run win.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Rickelton said: "I am just really trying to simplify my batting. I have a quite a nice foundation and what I wanted to achieve at the moment.

"I always want to be a three-format player, so to have that base is quite nice and to see that the results in the three different formats over the last two months has been quite warming for me as well.

"But I think when I dumb it down a little bit for even myself is just trying to obviously emphasize more mindset and approach. If you look at the guys that play three formats really well, like Travis Head, Shubman Gill, all play similar cricket across all three formats.

"So, 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."

The current Proteas squad is once again burdened with the responsibility of winning an ICC trophy but Rickelton says they do not feel any extra pressure.

The Proteas reached the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup in 2023 and the final of the T20 global tournament last year with many of the current group still involved this time around.

"I don't think there's any extra pressure on the guys," Rickelton said. "Everyone has gained that extra year of experience, that extra year of knowledge on what they're trying to do and how they're trying to do it.

"We do have incredibly good players in this team, not just in the team but obviously the whole squad as well. There's guys that are maybe a bit young in the side as well that are also looking to make an impact.

"But I don't think we're too burdened by the hunt to win the whole thing. Obviously, weÃ¢™re here to do that. But we don't let that restrict us. We have to play our best game, have fun, enjoy each other's company."

The Proteas' next game in the Champions Trophy will be a clash against World Cup holders Australia in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.