Ryan Rickelton expressed his comfort at returning to Newlands for the third Test against Australia, which begins on Tuesday. The Proteas wicketkeeper-batter has established a strong record at the venue through both domestic and international cricket, and he reflected on the significance of playing at a ground where he has enjoyed considerable success.
Rickelton said that his familiarity with Newlands extends across multiple formats. He explained the value of returning to a venue where he has performed well, noting that batters often draw confidence from grounds where they have established themselves.
"I walked out here and I said to Kruger (van Wyk, Proteas fielding coach), 'It's good to be home,'" Rickelton told reporters on Sunday.
"I think a lot of batters know their venues where they do well, and whether that's through domestic or international cricket. To come back to a ground where I'm very familiar with both red-ball and white-ball cricket, and where I've had some good success, is quite comforting for me. You kind of bank that up, no matter how well you're playing at the moment or where you are, where you find yourself. But to come back to a place of familiarity, a place of success, recent success, past success as well, is something I think batters and players have a lot of confidence in and can draw from that," he added.
Rickelton's record at Newlands underscores his comfort at the venue. He compiled a career-best 259 against Pakistan, spending 10 hours in the New Year sun to construct the innings off 343 balls, striking 29 boundaries and three sixes. In three first-class matches at Newlands, he has never departed without scoring a century, a remarkable consistency that reflects his familiarity with the ground's conditions and character.
Beyond Test cricket, Rickelton has accumulated substantial runs for MI Cape Town across four seasons in the SA20, further deepening his connection to the venue and the city. This blend of red-ball and white-ball success at Newlands provides him with a reservoir of positive experiences as he prepares for the decisive Test.
The shift from opening to the middle order
Rickelton's role within the Proteas has evolved recently. He opened the batting for two years before being shifted to the middle order during the preceding Test at St George's Park, where he also assumed wicketkeeping duties from Kyle Verreynne. The transition to the middle order has brought a shift in his approach and mindset at the crease.
Reflecting on his time as an opener, Rickelton acknowledged the demands of batting at the top of the order in Test cricket. He described opening as particularly challenging, requiring discipline and restraint that differ markedly from batting in the middle order.
"Opening the batting in Test cricket sucks. It's hard! It's really hard. And having batted in the middle a lot and then moved to opening, I have a lot of respect for the guys who have carried their bat through and through their careers opening the batting. Yeah, it's tricky, and I watch guys like Aiden (Markram), who's quite a free-flowing player, rein himself in quite a lot. He's still one of those guys who looks to score, but his ability to hold himself back is what it comes down to. In South Africa, it's maybe a lot easier in the middle order," Rickelton said.
"As the ball gets older, the bowlers get a little bit tired. Obviously, you can be a little bit more expressive in the way that you want to go about it. But I think, for myself, having jumped around, I think I've batted from one to six for this side and experienced all the roles. Opening is definitely the hardest, and I think being able to hold yourself back, myself included, has sometimes been a bit challenging for me. But now, finding myself in the middle order, I don't think it's a place where you can just kind of let it go, especially against an attack like this," he added.
