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Ryan Rickelton Reckons T20s Are Harder Than Tests
Follow UsThe South Africa wicketkeeper-batter has scored over 300 runs in SA20 2025
South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton reckons T20 cricket is harder than Test matches. Rickelton recently became South Africa's first Test double centurion since 2016, but he feels that his 303 runs in the SA20 2025 for MI Cape Town were harder.
"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," Rickelton said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Rickelton feels there is a lot more pressure in T20s, while in Test cricket, one gets the chance to bide some time. "Test cricket is very hard, but with T20s, there's a lot more pressure on every delivery. In Test cricket, you can bide your time and work your way through it at a lower intensity. In T20s, you've got to score [off] every ball," he said.
"There's always pressure on you, internally, externally, there's a more detailed analysis on you as a player, and against your opposition. They're always trying to hit your weaknesses. There's a lot more to it than it seems."
Rickelton has not had the best of T20 careers, but it is certainly moving upwards. He feels conversations with batting coach Hashim Amla have helped.
"I spend a lot of time with Hash. He was a phenomenal player and a calm guy in the way he dealt with his success and his failure, so that's awesome. It's just hard to obviously deal with both sides of the spectrum, but he was an incredible player, and he's a very good coach. Batting is very relationship-based, and having spent three years with him, I can trust his eyes and his perspective as a coach," he said.
"It's also nice to have someone that's around frequently. Even when I move up into the Proteas space, he's still the guy I call back. He'll watch [me play], and I'll toss some thoughts to him. It doesn't mean that I disregard anyone else's [views], but the guys that can see little intricacies coming into your game or what you're thinking behind the scenes are the kind that can relate to you a little bit more."
Rickelton and MI will have a chance to win their maiden SA20 title when they take on Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final on February 8 (Saturday) in Johannesburg.
