But he was two runs away from proving his mettle and scoring his maiden Test century, and all three South African reviews were available, so he decided to challenge umpire Joel Wilson’s decision despite being indecisive. Someone, or something, was looking down on him and the final call showed again with his bat making contact with the ball, despite his uncertainty.
“I didn’t think I hit it at all,” he said in the post-day press conference. “I think I might have got a little lucky there with a few scratches on the Ultras. I was reviewing because I was on 98, and because I was thinking maybe it was out of line, but I didn’t think anything “
Except for the “relief” two balls later when he drove Vishwa Fernando down the ground to bring up his hundred. He could stop his self-questioning whether he was good enough. “I’ve been in this team for about four or five years now, have played a handful of games, but I always believe I can do something useful at international level,” he said. “It was always just a case of can I do it and can I prove it to myself.”
“So it was a relief to say I’ve bided my time, but I can do this. Because there are always those doubts. They live in everyone, they definitely live in me. A few setbacks here and there. After, ‘Can I really…can I do this?’ It was a relief to just be able to do it, and do it for the team.”
Individual achievement aside, Rickelton also put in a performance that saved South Africa from a top-order collapse and was able to do so because he is batting where he is more comfortable.
Rickelton “jumped at the opportunity”, because he knows he is at his best when conditions are most challenging. “Playing against the new ball in red-ball cricket really helps me, it tightens me up,” he said. “If I come in at No. 5 or 6, I actually loosen up a little bit or maybe expand a little bit. I had my game plan, had some relative success in the past, and just wanted to stick to it for a long time.” Tried some part of the day.”
That plan also worked because South Africa were on the ropes, and knew they could not afford to slip up. “Being 44 for 3 solidified my plan. We were in a bit of trouble, so I knew I probably had to tighten up even more. Funny thing about cricket. I think the better things go, the looser the guy. I am one. Under the pressure, I tightened myself up, and fortunately for me, [Bavuma] It was looking really well and playing incredibly well. They really put in so much pressure that it was a really tough morning. ,
Bavuma dominated his fourth-wicket stand, dismissing Rickelton and was the batsman who looked the odds for a hundred, but played on a ball he could have left and was dismissed before tea. . Finally, Rickelton also went for a delivery which he was not supposed to play and was out before the end of the day. But he believes he has left South Africa in a good position. “In PE [formerly Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha]If you’re hovering around 350, that’s a really, really good score,” he said. We are a decent partnership away from setting a very good score. ,
Firdose Moonda is ESPNCRICINFO’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket.
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