ryan rickelton
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- MI Cape Town batsman Ryan Rickelton is hoping to establish himself as a T20 player following his performance in the SA20 opener.
- Rickelton scored 42 as MI Cape Town beat the Paarl Royals in a sold-out Newlands on Tuesday.
- Rickelton praised the calm of former Proteas legend Hashim Amla presence in the dressing room of MI Cape Town.
MI Cape Town batsman Ryan Rickelton is hoping to mold himself more of a T20 player in the ongoing SA20 tournament.
After being snubbed by the Proteas due to an “ankle injury” during their tour Down Under, Rickelton went on to prove the national selectors wrong when he performed for his national franchise in last season’s One Day Cup.
The 26-year-old goaltender-hitter has been in fine form for the Lions. He finished as the leading run-scorer in the One Day Cup, scoring 452 runs in seven games at an average of 64.57.
Rickelton, who has played just three Tests for Proteas so far, scored 75 in the One Day Cup final as the Lions sealed the title against Western Province.
In Tuesday’s opening SA20 fixture at a sold-out Newlands, Rickelton helped lead his new franchise MI Cape Town to an eight wicket victory against the Paarl Royals.
He shared a 90-run opening partnership with teen star Dewald Brevis (70*) as MI Cape Town chased 143 under lights in Cape Town.
Rickelton hit 42 off 33 balls (with five fours and one six) before he was bowled by Ramon Simmonds of the West Indies.
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Rickelton told reporters that he is eager to prove himself in the game’s shorter format as he looks to continue his form this season.
“I had a nice two months and had a break of about 10 days in December after the One Day Cup final,” Rickelton told reporters on Wednesday.
“T20 is a bit different, I know I’m hitting the ball well, it’s just a matter of molding some plans. I haven’t had the best time in T20 cricket in the last year or two, so the chance to try and formulate some plans with Simon Katich and Hash (Amla) has been really helpful.
“I’m just trying to make sure I can continue this period for the rest of the summer, ideally.”
MI Cape Town boasts a star-studded managerial staff this season with former Australia batsman Simon Katich (head coach), former Proteas batsman Hashim Amla (batting coach), former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene ( head of performance), former Indian bowler Zaheer Khan (Director of Cricket) and current Warriors manager Robin Peterson (General Manager) imparting their insights.
Rickelton praised Amla’s calming influence on MI Cape Town’s locker room as he hopes to learn from the Proteas legend.
“It’s been amazing, I actually forgot he still plays cricket, to be honest he played for Surrey last year,” Rickelton said.
“He’s a pretty simple coach. A good part of having someone who’s still playing, formula, who can see that he’s matched with a certain type of player.
“I’ll probably play more to his lane than the guy like Dewald, so he and I are pretty close as far as trying to formulate some plans.
“And it helps to have played for the Cobras (now Western Province) here and throughout South Africa, he has a very good understanding and we’ve worked something out for me.
“Like I said, he’s a phenomenal player, so anything I can get out of him is always going to help.”
MI Cape Town will take on the Durban Super Giants at Newlands on Friday.
The game starts at 17:30.
