“Test cricket Is Hard But T20 Harder..”, Says South Africa Batter Ryan Rickelton

While many view Test cricket as the ultimate challenge for players, South African batter Ryan Rickelton believes the T20 format presents a more difficult test. Despite recently becoming South Africa’s first double Test centurion since 2016 in a brilliant innings against Pakistan, Rickelton has confessed that scoring runs in T20 cricket, particularly in the SA20, is much tougher.

In a candid interview with ESPNcricinfo, Rickelton said, “I grew up wanting to be a Test player and thought that in T20, you can just whack a few, but T20 cricket is flipping hard. It’s different, but it is harder.” He further explained that the pressure in T20s is constant, with each ball requiring a scoring opportunity. “In Test cricket, you can bide your time and work your way through at a lower intensity, but in T20s, there’s always pressure on you, internally and externally,” he said.

Rickelton’s T20 journey has been a learning curve. After a difficult start, he worked relentlessly to improve his game and it paid off with a remarkable resurgence. His T20 average has risen to 29.84, with a blistering strike rate of 140.77. In the previous SA20 season, Rickelton topped the run-scoring charts, a result of the technical adjustments he made to his batting after consulting with former South African legend Hashim Amla.

Amla’s calm approach to both success and failure resonated deeply with Rickelton. “It’s just hard to deal with both sides of the spectrum, but he was an incredible player and he’s a very good coach,” Rickelton shared. He credits Amla’s guidance for refining his batting technique and mental approach to the game, and even as Rickelton progresses in his international career, Amla remains a key sounding board for him. “He’ll watch [me play], and I’ll toss some thoughts to him. He’s the guy I call back,” Rickelton concluded.

Rickelton’s reflections highlight the evolving nature of modern cricket, where different formats demand varied skill sets, and his growth in T20 cricket signals a bright future for him in the format.