RICKELTON: SA20 GAVE ME THE CONFIDENCE TO PLAY MY GAME

At the end of last season’s Betway SA20, it was clear that Ryan Rickelton could play this game.

None other than former England captain Kevin Pieterson confirmed it on commentary with “he can play” after Rickelton raised his bat for his fourth successive half-century. The MI Cape Town opener went on to add a further fifty enroute to topping the overall charts in Season 2 with 530 runs at an average of 58.88 and strike-rate of 173.77.

While it may seem like a simplistic statement, there were genuine doubts whether the left-hander would fulfil his immense potential, particularly after a disappointing opening season with the Newlands-based franchise.

Rickelton’s paltry return in Season 1 yielded just 146 runs in seven innings at an average of 20.85 and strike-rate of 113.17.

Realising that he was playing for "one of the most powerful franchises in the world", Rickleton though did not want to let the opportunity go to waste and got down to doing the hard yards with MI Cape Town’s new coach Robin Peterson along with batting coach Hashim Amla.

It has certainly yielded the intended rewards with Rickelton following up his stellar Betway SA20 Season 2 with good returns in both the CSA T20 Challenge and Major League Cricket in the United States.

There was even more to come with the southpaw breaking the half-century barrier in both ODI and T20I’s for the Proteas on the recent tour to the United Arab Emirates.

"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.

"Hopefully there is more to come. It is nice to achieve what I did in the second season, and hopefully take some building blocks and confidence from that."

It has certainly helped Rickelton’s development that he’s had senior partner Rassie van der Dussen alongside him every step of the way at both the Lions and MI Cape Town.

The duo were spectacular as opening pair last season with the highlight being the record 200-run stand at their favourite hunting ground, the Wanderers, against the Joburg Super Kings.

"I’ve never played cricket against Rassie, only with Rassie. When you get that type of connectivity with someone it translates on the field. We really enjoy going out there together. Spending time out in the middle and hopefully taking a few bowlers down along the way," Rickelton said.

Having now achieved his personal goals, Rickleton is hoping to inspire MI Cape Town to greater heights this forthcoming season.

"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," he said.

MI Cape Town will feature in the Season 3 opener when they travel to Gqeberha to face the Sunrisers Eastern Cape at St George’s Park on 9, January 2025.