Ryan Rickelton in action against Pakistan in Cape Town. (AP)
Ryan Rickelton became the first South African opener to record a 250-plus score at home in the second Test against Pakistan at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
Batting in his 17th Test innings, Rickelton’s marathon spanned over two days after South Africa opted to bat first. The 28-year-old finished the opening day with his second century on 176 and motored past the double hundred in the second session on Day 2 alongside centuries from skipper Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreyne.
Rickelton reached his double hundred off 266 balls and moved up to 250 off 336 deliveries, after South Africa stormed past 550 against a hapless Pakistan attack. Rickelton thereby became the first Proteas opener to record a 250-plus Test score at home and the second overall after Graeme Smith, who recorded two double centuries in England in 2003. He is only the eighth South African batter to cross the 250-run mark in a Test innings, with Hashim Amla remaining as the only triple-centurion with his unbeaten 311 against England at the Oval in 2012.
Rickelton’s double hundred was also the first by a Saffers batter since Amla’s double hundred at Cape Town in 2016. The left-hander eventually on 259 off 343 deliveries as he miscued a slog down the ground. His innings comprised 29 fours and three sixes.
Only Gary Kirsten (275) and Graeme Pollock (274) have recorded a higher Test score than Rickelton for South Africa at home.
Interestingly, Rickelton nearly amassed as many runs from his latest outing alone as he has from his previous 16 innings. Having made his Test debut in 2022 against Bangladesh, Rickelton recorded 357 runs in his previous 16 innings at a 25.50 average and a solitary century against Sri Lanka last month in Gqeberha. The double hundred has shored his aggregate past 600 in 10 Tests with his average moving past 43.
| Player | Runs | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
| Hashim Amla | 311* | v England | The Oval | 19 Jul 2012 |
| AB de Villiers | 278* | v Pakistan | Abu Dhabi | 20 Nov 2010 |
| Graeme Smith | 277 | v England | Birmingham | 24 Jul 2003 |
| Daryll Cullinan | 275* | v New Zealand | Auckland | 27 Feb 1999 |
| Gary Kirsten | 275 | v England | Durban | 26 Dec 1999 |
| Graeme Pollock | 274 | v Australia | Durban | 05 Feb 1970 |
| Graeme Smith | 259 | v England | Lord’s | 31 Jul 2003 |
| Ryan Rickelton | 259 | v Pakistan | Cape Town | 03 Jan 2025 |
| DJ McGlew | 255* | v New Zealand | Wellington | 06 Mar 1953 |
| Hashim Amla | 253* | v India | Nagpur | 06 Feb 2010 |
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