February 21, 2025: Wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton made history during his ICC Champions Trophy debut, becoming the first South African player to score a century in the tournament. Rickelton’s brilliant knock of 103 runs off 106 balls, including seven fours and a six, helped propel South Africa to a competitive total against Afghanistan in their campaign opener at Karachi on Friday. His strike rate of 97.16 added to the dominance of his innings.
Rickelton’s century places him in the company of South African cricket legends like Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith, and Jacques Kallis, all of whom have scored centuries in Champions Trophy history. He also joins former Proteas batter Gary Kirsten, who had scored 188 on his ICC Cricket World Cup debut in 1996, as the second South African to achieve such a feat on their ICC tournament debut.
The 28-year-old’s performance is a continuation of his fine form across formats this year. Earlier in 2025, Rickelton had a stunning start to the year with a magnificent 259 against Pakistan in Cape Town in Tests. He followed that up with an exceptional title-winning performance in the SA20 season three, where he accumulated 336 runs in eight innings at an average of 48.00 and a strike rate of 178.72, finishing as his side’s top run-scorer.
In Friday’s match, Rickelton shared a 129-run partnership for the second wicket with Temba Bavuma (58 off 76 balls). The middle order also contributed with solid half-centuries from Rassie Van Der Dussen (52 off 46 balls) and Aiden Markram (52 off 36 balls), bringing South Africa to a total of 315/6 in their allotted 50 overs.
For Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi was the best bowler, taking 2/51, while Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azhmatullah Omarzai, and Noor Ahmed each claimed a wicket. Afghanistan now needs 316 runs to win the match.