His only white-ball century came against Afghanistan in February.
South Africa batter Ryan Rickelton has delivered some excellent performances in the last couple of years to become the all-format opener. He first broke into the Test side and didn’t take long to become their first-choice opener. Soon, he made it to the T20I and ODI sides.
South Africa made light work of England in the first ODI on Tuesday, winning by seven wickets. The left-hand batter remained unbeaten on 31 while chasing 132, but took 59 deliveries for it. His current form has not been encouraging, and there is a possibility he might lose his spot.
The 29-year-old Mumbai Indians batter has done a pretty decent job for the Proteas in the longer format. He averages 37.52 with two centuries in 11 Tests. But his white-ball numbers haven’t matched the potential he has.
Rickelton hit 103 off 106 against Afghanistan in the first game of the Champions Trophy in February 2025. But in six innings since, he has managed only 127 runs at a strike rate of 79. Overall, he has scored 418 runs from 13 ODIs at an average of 34.83 while striking at 86.36.
It’s a similar situation in T20 internationals as well, where he has played 16 games. In those, he has made 381 runs at an average of under 23 while striking at 132. He has registered just two fifties in T20Is.
These numbers in both white-ball formats do not look good. And with younger talent coming through the ranks, Rickelton might not get a long rope to cement his place in South Africa’s playing XI.
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Rickelton’s biggest threat in white-ball formats is Lhuan-dre Pretorius. The 19-year-old sensation has been on a rapid rise in world cricket. He has already made his debut in Tests and T20Is, and his fifty-over debut might not be too far.
Pretorius is one of the most talented young cricketers in the world. It is natural, South Africa would look to give him as many opportunities as possible to develop him into an international star.
Pretorius has an excellent record in List A cricket, averaging over 44 at a strike rate of 111. On top of that, he averages over 65 in First Class cricket, which shows he is perfectly capable of playing long innings.
LDP is a wicketkeeper-batter and is in direct competition with Rickelton. Even if he wasn’t a keeper, South Africa have Tristan Stubbs, who is a regular starter in all three formats.
Both Rickelton and Pretorius played in the recent T20I series against Australia. But they were missing a couple of players. With everyone available for selection, they might have to choose between these two.
As things stand, Ryan Rickelton has to start delivering soon or his spot could be under serious threat in the coming days. The Proteas will want a stable opening pair for the T20 World Cup 2026 and Cricket World Cup 2027. The latter is slated to be in South Africa. Things can change pretty quickly in international cricket, and Rickelton’s time is running out.
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