Ryan Rickelton carved his name into South African cricket history on Friday (Feb 21), with a sensational maiden ODI century against Afghanistan at Karachi’s National Stadium in the ongoing Champions Trophy. The 28-year-old opener’s composed 103 off 106 balls anchored South Africa’s commanding total of 315/6, paving the way for a dominant 107-run victory and signaling his rise as a key figure in international cricket.
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| Image Credits: ESPN Cricinfo |
Since his international debut in 2022, Rickelton has shown flashes of brilliance but struggled for consistency. However, he delivered under pressure against the mighty Afghanistan spin bowling attack.
After South Africa opted to bat first, he navigated Afghanistan’s early seam attack with composure, with occasional flair. His knock featured seven boundaries and one six. A gentle push to long-off off Mohammad Nabi in the 34th over brought up his century. Overcome with emotion, he acknowledged the crowd before dedicating the milestone to his family and mentors. Meanwhile, he celebrated his century in the mid-run itself as the ball was traveling to long-off.
Rickelton’s assured footwork nullified Afghanistan’s potent spin threat, particularly Rashid Khan, ensuring South Africa’s innings never lost momentum. His dismissal, as a run-out shortly after reaching three figures, didn’t diminish the impact of his innings, which laid an important foundation for the South Africans to breach the 300-run mark. In response, Afghanistan crumbled for 208, unable to mount a serious challenge, and lost the match by 107 runs.
Reaching three figures in just his 7th ODI, Rickelton silenced any doubts about his ability to perform on the big stage. He already had a score of 91 against Ireland in Abu Dhabi 6 months ago and this century would surely boost his morale for the rest of the ongoing Champions Trophy tournament.
