Ryan Rickelton cashed in on the runs and finally delivered on the promise he has shown in the domestic set-up and the SA20 in the recently concluded Proteas series against Ireland.
The hard-hitting left-hander had his best outings for the Proteas thus far in both the T20Is and ODIs against Ireland, and he was only second to Tristan Stubbs (211) in the run-scoring charts in the ODIs with 135 in the three matches.
The two-match T20I series saw him accumulate 112 runs, with a highest score of 76, the most by any of the Proteas batters across the two matches.
South Africa recovered well from a shock 2-1 ODI series defeat against Afghanistan prior to the Ireland series, and although the tour against the Men in Green began with a disappointing 1-1 draw in the T20 series, Rob Walter’s charges secured a much-needed ODI series triumph despite the loss in the final encounter.
The 28-year-old carried his form across the two formats, and although he said it can be a bit challenging to adjust to the different formats and their requirements, he was relieved about ending the tour with a series win.
“We had to iron out a few clouds and try and get momentum back into the Proteas white-ball set-up,” Rickelton told Independent Newspapers.
“I was just trying to keep the right mindset; fortunately, the conditions, especially in the T20 series, I found them nice to bat in. I was trying to stay true to how I want to play, not overthink things, and keep a positive mindset because you get value for shots.
“It's quite tough to change from format to format; 50 overs is a bit of the middle ground, which is also quite difficult.
“Tests and T20 are two different ends of a spectrum. The first ODI was quite difficult to find the correct technique. I haven’t played an ODI in a while, so it was something that was not new to me, but was different to play.
“The big thing was not correcting it too much. If it’s not clicking on the day, give in to what you have and try to make the best of it.
“The Ireland series was vital, especially after having the slip-up against Afghanistan.
“In the grand scheme of things, with the Champions Trophy coming up, it was important to put in a good performance.”
Rickelton will turn out in the colours of MI Cape Town in the third edition of the SA20 early next year, and after finishing last season’s tournament as the highest scorer with 530 runs in 10 matches, he has praised the impact the tournament has had in his international career so far.
Walking Away With The Trophy🏆 🇿🇦
The Proteas Men have conquered in Dubai, sealing a 2-1 ODI victory against Ireland! 💥 With heart, grit, and determination, they’ve lifted the trophy and made South Africa proud! 🙌🇿🇦#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #SAvsIRE pic.twitter.com/JKqoC5BBto
Before that, he will turn out for the Lions in the CSA T20 Challenge.
“The SA20 has been quite influential. I worked really hard in the second edition, trying to rectify from the first edition,” he said.
“I think after the tournament, I got a lot of confidence in my game and how I want to play, and that was important to me because it gave me a nice picture and confidence between domestic and international cricket.
“The third edition will be bigger and better, and I’ll be looking to right the wrongs of the first two editions for the MI team and put in performances that we so desperately need.”