Ryan Rickelton Ends Nine-Year Wait for South Africa with Double Ton Against Pakistan

Ryan Rickelton from South Africa made cricket history by hitting over 200 runs in a Test match. It's been nine years since anyone else from South Africa did that. On Saturday, in the second Test against Pakistan in Cape Town, his amazing score of 202 runs from 266 balls really helped improve the Proteas' game. Rickelton was a key player in giving his team a strong advantage.

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Breaking a Nine-Year Drought

Resuming at an unbeaten 176 on Day 2, Rickelton hit a double century early, making the Cape Town crowd extremely happy. The performance was top-notch, demonstrating his patience and precision with 25 boundaries and also a hit over the boundary. With Rickelton's milestone, South Africa hadn't seen a double century in Test cricket since Hashim Amla did it in 2016.

The Proteas weren't doing particularly well at the start, losing three of their players Aiden Markram with 17 runs, Wiaan Mulder for just 5, and Tristan Stubbs out without obtaining for a total of 71 runs very early, by the 7th over. Mohammad Abbas and Salman Ali Agha from Pakistan were very successful in their method, taking the Proteas' players out fast.

But then, things took a major turn. Rickelton, who was just starting out, teamed up with the team captain, Temba Bavuma. Together, they started scoring many runs, achieving up a whopping 235 runs between them for the fourth wicket. This duo completely changed the game. During their partnership, Bavuma was an issue, altogether and chalked up his fourth test century, demonstrating how tough he could be.Their hard work paid off, making fully sure South Africa shot back into a strong position in the tournament. Even after Bavuma had to head out just before Day 1 was coming to an end, it didn't slow them down at all. The team finished the day looking very good with a score of 316-4.

First Test Hundred in 2025 - Ryan Rickelton.

First Test Double Hundred in 2025 - Ryan Rickelton.

What a remarkable start to the New Year Test, Incredible innings, dominating WTC cycle for South Africa 🙇🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/mVu924Putn

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 4, 2025

Day 2 Highlights

Rickelton and David Bedingham started batting again for South Africa. Rickelton obtained a strikingly large double century but Bedingham only got five runs before Mohammad Abbas got him out. By the morning break, the team obtained 370-5 after playing 95 overs, keeping their approach very powerful.Pakistan's bowlers, including the returning Mir Hamza and debutant Aamir Jamal, struggled to make breakthroughs. Both bowlers delivered long spells without success, leaving Pakistan to toil under the sun.

A Stellar Year for Rickelton

Since hitting the cricket scene in 2022, Rickelton has been joining it. He secured his first Test century in a match against Sri Lanka in December. Now, he's just played an amazing game against Pakistan. Rickelton's been solid as a top-order batter, adapting to any difficult pitch or bowler set forth. This makes him vitally key to South Africa's team.Adding to his accolades, Rickelton was picked by the Mumbai Indians for ₹1 crore during the IPL auction in November, reflecting his growing stature in world cricket.

On Monday, July 8th, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced a 16-man squad for the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies starting on August 7. Experienced batter Temba Bavuma will lead the South African cricket team.

South Africa’s red-ball coach, Shukri Conrad announced the squad for the Tests starting on August 7 in Trinidad. Bavuma will lead the team after missing a game against India earlier this year. Most of the main players, who skipped the New Zealand series due to SA20 commitments are back. Three players from the second string team that played against New Zealand are also retained.

David Bedingham, who is in great form in the County Championship keeps his spot. Pacers Dane Paterson and off-spinner Dane Piedt also stay in the team. Matthew Breetzke, who scored 322 runs at an average of 46 in the domestic competition, gets his first Test call up and may replace Dean Elgar as a backup batter. Tristan Stubbs also stays in the red-ball team.

Marco Jansen is rested to manage his workload, and with Anrich Nortje focusing on T20Is, Dane Paterson is retained as an extra fast bowler alongside Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger, and Gerald Coetzee.

“We have one new face, Matthew Breetzke, selected for his excellent performance last season. Resting Marco Jansen is to ensure his physical and mental well-being,” said Conrad in X.

The rest of the squad remains largely the same, with Ryan Rickelton returning as the second wicketkeeper, while Keegan Petersen is left out.

South Africa squad for West Indies Tests

Temba Bavuma, David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne