Rickelton 'at peace' with Proteas situation

MI Cape Town opener Ryan Rickelton insists he isn’t worrying about selection for the Proteas’ T20 World Cup squad.

After successive ducks in two ODIs against India, Rickelton was left out of the squad for the subsequent five-match T20I series, with Quinton de Kock preferred at the top of the Proteas order.

However, Rickelton provided a reminder of his quality with a commanding 63-ball century for MI Cape Town in the SA20 tournament opener against Durban’s Super Giants at Newlands on Friday.

“I am just trying to find my feet again with the bat and contribute,” Rickelton said after the match. “I’m at peace with whatever happens [with the Proteas]. Obviously this tournament is a platform for players to put their hands up, but I’m definitely not thinking about it [the T20 World Cup]. I’m just trying to enjoy the game again.”

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While disappointed to be dropped by the Proteas, Rickelton said it forced him to reset mentally.

“It’s been an up and down year,” he admitted. “It started really nicely [with a double century in the New Year’s Test against Pakistan and a maiden ODI hundred against Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy] but at the back end I had a tough white-ball leg in India. It was a tough last couple of months mentally. I can be quite negative and sometimes in cricket we dive into our heads very easily.”

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Returning home has helped restore perspective.

“The beauty of Cape Town, the beauty of South Africa, is that you get the opportunity to experience more than just the game of cricket,” he explained. “I have family and friends here. I got the opportunity to not even think about the game until I had to.

“For me, that’s the biggest blessing of playing here. I’m enjoying my cricket again – and that’s all I can ask for right now.”