Quinton de Kock justifying his recall to Proteas, while Ryan Rickelton can count himself unlucky
Quinton de Kock’s (pictured) extensive experience and impressive performances have secured his spot in the Proteas T20 World Cup squad, overshadowing Ryan Rickelton despite Rickelton’s strong batting stats in the SA20. Picture: AFP
Image: AFP
A look at the top of batting stats in the SA20 after five matches makes for some interesting reading, as Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton lead the way.
De Kock tops the list with 205 runs at an average of 68 and a strike rate of 168 for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Rickelton is just behind with 199 runs at an average of 49 and a strike rate of 168 for Mi Cape Town.
The really interesting part though, is that with De Kock’s return to the Proteas after making himself available in October, it has seen Rickelton fall down the pecking order. As a result, De Kock was picked for the Proteas T20 World Cup squad last week, as Rickelton didn’t make the cut.
De Kock’s Experience and Achievements Outshine Rickelton for Proteas Wicketkeeper Spot
Since both are wicketkeepers and left-handed batsmen, there’s little separating them when choosing a team tactically.
That’s why if both are in form, De Kock will always get the nod due to his considerable experience and achievements.
In fact, De Kock has played 100 T20Is for the Proteas to go with his 161 ODIs and 54 Tests. It also feels like De Kock has been around forever since he made his international debut way back in 2013, yet he only celebrated his 33rd birthday last month.
Meanwhile, Rickelton is 29 and not that much younger to be able to simply bide his time while age inevitably catches up with De Kock.
Add in that Rickelton is only just beginning his Proteas career with 18 T20Is, 17 ODIs and 15 Tests to his name.
On the face of it, it may then have seemed as something of a surprise that Rickelton will not be on the plane to the T20 World Cup next month - but while De Kock is healthy and in any kind of decent form, he’s the obvious choice for the Proteas.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
** JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Send us an email with your comments, thoughts or responses to [email protected]. Letters should be a maximum of 500 words, and may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Submissions should include a contact number and physical address (not for publication).