Ryan Rickelton became the second South African batter, after Gary Kirsten, to score a century on debut in an ICC tournament as South Africa began its Champions Trophy campaign with a convincing 107-run victory against Afghanistan.
At the National Stadium on Friday (February 21, 2025), the young Rickelton (103, 106b, 7×4, 1×6) justified his team’s decision to bat first with a mature innings. He kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and boundaries, to guide South Africa to 315 for 6 – a target that was far from Afghanistan’s reach, despite Rahmat Shah’s 92-ball-90.
Even as the surface favoured the batters, South Africa lost Tony de Zorzi early after Afghanistan introduced spinner Mohammed Nabi in the PowerPlay.
However, with Rickelton and captain Temba Bavuma (58, 76b, 5×4) steadying things, and adding 129 runs for the second wicket, South Africa managed to negate Afghanistan’s spin ploy.
Rickelton found boundaries regularly, even though Bavuma took his time to settle, before finding the momentum and ensuring that he brought up a fighting fifty.
Rickelton struck his maiden ODI century and looked set to extend the score before he was run out by Rashid Khan. Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen, chipped in with fifties.
Pursuing a massive total, Afghanistan batters failed to show resilience against the opposition’s fast bowling line-up, led by Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, and lost wickets at regular intervals.
Despite a large number of fans cheering for the team, it lost four wickets for 50 runs before Rahmat put up a fight. His efforts went in vain as Afghanistan’s Champions Trophy debut turned out to be a forgettable one.
The scores:
South Africa 315/6 in 50 overs (Rickelton 103, Bavuma 58, van der Dussen 52, Markram 52) bt Afghanistan 208 in 43.3 overs (Rahmat 90; Rabada 3/36); Toss: South Africa. PoM: Rickelton.
Published – February 21, 2025 02:39 pm IST
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