But that almost didn’t have to happen. With Wiaan Mulder coming into the South African team as a batsman, Rickelton was the favorite to be left out. But Tony de Zorzi arrived late with a hamstring strain and a sliding door moment had been overcome with Rickelton on the right.

Maybe even more so because Rickelton faced a new challenge today. If de Zorzi was out, he would open the batting line-up, something he later admitted in the press conference that he had not actively pushed for. But South African coach Shukri Conrad, whose gregarious personality is so legendary in these parts that the mere mention of his name brings a smile to many faces, told him he had the ability to reach the top.

“I just want a bat. It doesn’t matter where. I feel like I’ve been practicing a lot against the new ball for the Lions. Mentally it’s probably more challenging. Days like today don’t exist for anyone, especially anyone. “He opens the bat,” Rickelton said.

There was that callback to his home game again. But one of the things that separates the domestic from the international game is quality, high-pace bowlers. And with Naseem Shah out of the competition due to some unclear fitness issues, Pakistan’s four-tier pace attack was remarkably monotonous, four medium-pace bowlers rarely cracking 135 and hovering between the mid-120s and low 130s. On a pitch that the groundsman may have overcorrected and deprived of most of his turf after the surreal Test against India last year, Rickelton sensed an opportunity for runs at Newlands.

And under the gaze of Table Mountain, Rickelton knows how to plunder runs. In the two first-class matches he has played here previously, he has scored two unbeaten hundreds and a 90, probably against attacks no slower than the Pakistan fielding up here. When he leaned into a drive to reach his first boundary after a slightly over-pitched throw from Mir Hamza, he was ready; he would be busy punishing the full length all day, especially in the “V”; It was his most productive way to score points and also his fastest. He scored 51 runs off 46 such deliveries, pushing back Pakistan’s length and ending their short-lived quest for momentum.

If all this means profiting against tepid opposition, then perhaps that is unfair, because at the time of lunch Pakistan were the luckier of the two sides. Rickelton had witnessed three of his partners fall in quick succession, something common in South African batting in the past and in which Rickelton was all too often involved.

But Rickelton doesn’t necessarily have to look back to his home track for inspiration. Do you remember the only time he passed fifty in his Test career? Well, he also passed the hundred mark and once again three of the best around him had fallen. Like today, he had Temba Bavuma for company, but it was Rickelton who did his best to make the most of his start, helping South Africa to a first innings total where every run counted in the end; Sri Lanka pushed until the final day before South Africa finally secured victory and set their side on an unstoppable path to the WTC final.

But the more confidence Rickelton gained as the day progressed, the weaker Pakistan’s attempts to break the fourth-wicket stand appeared. Shaun Pollock appeared surprised on broadcaster commentary that Khurram Shahzad didn’t open the bowling after lunch, but when he did come on he was ordinary enough to almost justify the decision. Rickelton gave the bowlers no room for error, although Shahzad still made plenty; He managed to hit six boundaries in three Shahzad overs and suddenly a gritty fifty was racing towards three figures. It was a phase that would define an innings that by the end of the day had become a “big daddy hundred”, as Tristan Stubbs put it during the series against Sri Lanka. And while it might be tempting to call it a day where he entered an invincible zone, what he actually did felt much more lasting. When Pakistan bowled a good length outside off stump, he was cautious; 103 such deliveries resulted in 39 runs, but even minor errors were punished severely.

According to ESPNcricinfo records, Rickelton was more devastating than ever when it came to a short length. From 20 balls where the bowlers made a mistake short, he scored 36. And perhaps less surprisingly, as Pakistan’s bowlers don’t quite have the pace, intentionally short balls were also quickly dismissed, resulting in 24 runs in 15 balls .

This would also result in the recording of the day in an over that highlighted Pakistan’s shortcomings. After Salman Agha himself admitted that they were running out of ideas at the fourth wicket stand, they did what they tried to do against Australia in Perth last season and manned the leg field with Aamer Jamal about to bowl. However, when he tried that against Rickleton, Rickelton hit him through the offside for two boundaries.

But the best was saved for last as Rickelton sat back and lay in wait for the bouncer, sitting on top and lifting him over fine leg for six, Quinton de Kock style, with just the blade, no backlift and maximum destructive power .

When Bavuma, who had reached his own hundred after a 235-run fourth wicket stand, snapped to Agha, Rickelton blocked all his shots. His combativeness and caution were simply a product of the opportunities bowling offered; He’s not one of those thugs who sees shooting as a drain for their ego. Since his loss to Jamal, he had hit just two boundaries and scored 32 in his next 51 balls. It’s easy to understand why his first-class record shines, but if he bats like this he will soon gain the respect of Test cricket too.