“Was very nervous today, but Newlands gave me confidence”: Ryan Rickelton

A 63-ball 113 that is set to be spoken about for many, many years to come. Ryan Rickelton, unfortunately on the wrong side of the result, has managed to reverse his lack of runs in the earlier tour of India, and he believes it to be the Cape Town magic. He was at the post-match press conference, breaking down his innings and his mental prep. Excerpts.. 

On coming back to form after a tough few months 

It’s been an up and down year. It started nicely but I had a tough white ball leg in India. It was a tough last couple of months, mentally and cricket wise in the sub-continent. Coming in, I was nervous today. I have tried to double down on my preparation. I have drawn a lot of confidence playing out here in Newlands. When you’re chasing 230 you don’t have a lot of time to think as well. You just have to take on the game and it brings out a nice version of me in T20 cricket. I had my fair share of luck tonight but was happy to find the middle of the bat again. 

Thoughts on the target

With 230, you have to back yourself no matter how good the conditions are with the ball. Just try give yourself a chance. We have so much power in our lineup. I thought if we get off to a start, you never know. You’ve got to hedge your bets, sometimes fortune favours the brave. You’re probably going to get down to the last ball or you’re going to get bowled out for 120. The beauty of those kind of scores is that you have to play. You can’t take your time. The wicket was good and you just had to maximize. 

On clearing the boundary with ease 

It’s quite tricky because in Newlands it swells and the flags are quite low so it doesn’t give you a fair representation of what is happening. But honestly sometimes against the long boundary, if you get a gust, you fancy your option. Against the short boundary, if you get a gust against you, you might think otherwise. You try and balance it. 

On using the SA20 to make a case for the Proteas side

Not at all. In honestly, I have made my peace with it. I am trying to find my feet again with the bat and contribute to the team. Whatever happens, happens. This tournament is a platform for players to put their hands up, but I am not thinking about it. I want to win this tournament with this team. Just trying to enjoy the game, which when you’re in India, can be quite hard. 

The Cape Town effect

I’m just happy I am in Cape Town. It is such a mental game for me. The conditions have been good for batting over the last couple of years. It’s quite a special place to play. Consistently, the wickets have been quite good for a period of time now. I enjoy the lifestyle here as well. Sometimes in cricket we dive into our heads and it is tough to get away. It’s what I think makes touring the sub-continent tough. The beauty of Cape Town, of South Africa, is that you get to get out and experience more than a game of cricket. I enjoy that. I have family and friends here. I didn’t have to think of the game until I walked onto the park. That’s the biggest blessing and the enjoyment I get out of playing in Newlands and Cape Town. 

On Jason Smith’s knock

It was amazing. Jason (Smith) has been playing amazing this whole summer from what I have seen and in these last few weeks in the nets he has been batting like that every single day. I knew if he could face a chunk of the balls we could be flying. We had a foot on their throats quite a bit. Unfortunately he got out to a slight mis-execution, but if he would have batted another ten balls, we would have rolled on quite nicely. 

On reuniting at the top with Rassie van der Dussen

This one has a bit of a different feel for both of us. We may be coming in with a bit of lack of form, or maybe not finding our groove quite easily. I can speak for myself, Rassie has been striking it quite nicely, but we know the opportunity we have for the next three years to be playing for this team and group. We enjoy playing for each other. To have Reeza there as well, we have played a lot for the Lions. The three of us at the top there was quite special. We all want each other to do incredibly well, sometimes more than yourself. Hopefully the three of us can have a good tournament and we can roll along for another two years. 

On his batting plans in the powerplay

You’re probably not trying to make a big score. If I face 18 balls and my partner faces 18 balls, if we are 25-30 each, we have a good start. That’s the general base you play off. It varies with conditions, wickets, etc. That’s the beauty of these leagues. We have such good players behind us. We have superstars who can whack it out of the park as well. It kind of frees you up a bit. You get a match up or you get a sniff where you can take someone down, you back yourself to take them down. You have to factor in a few things when you lose a wicket and know when to pull the brakes a bit and when to kick on and accelerate, but the general rule is that if it is your day, like it was mine today, you scoop a big score.