Rickelton says facing Aussies in Test final is ‘a dream come true’

Proteas top order batter Ryan Rickelton says the opportunity to face one of the world’s most dominant Test teams, Australia, in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s next week is “a dream come true”.

The South Africans are already in England, playing a warm-up game against Zimbabwe this week, ahead of next week’s big final against the Australians.

Rickelton will open the batting with either Aiden Markram or Tony de Zorzi.

“I just have a really great opportunity to play against Australia in England in front of my family. They’ll all be there, and my friends as well. So, what a cool week that’ll be, and if I can contribute with the bat and put in a performance, that’ll make it even sweeter,” said the 28-year-old in an interview with SportsBoom.

“I’ve always watched Australia since I was a young boy, and they’ve been such a dominant force in world cricket for a long time. So, this is a dream come true for me.”

‘New opportunity’

Rickelton had been in and out of the Proteas set-up for a few years until recently, and even missed out on facing the Australians three years ago in the Test arena when team doctors said he needed knee surgery. He delayed the operation and while the Proteas were playing Down Under he was scoring truckloads of runs for the Lions in domestic cricket.

Fast forward to 2024 and Rickelton was a first-choice man in the Test team and he’s now also right up there pushing for a permanent spot in the white-ball sides. His 259 against Pakistan in the New Year’s Test earlier this season has ensured he will get an extended run for the Proteas.

Looking ahead to the World Test Championship final, Rickelton told SportsBoom: “Bygones are bygones. It’s in the past. This is a new opportunity for me.”

He added: “I’m a bit nervous. It was a new opportunity to open the batting in the New Year’s Test, let alone the final against Australia.

“But, in saying that, I just want to bat, so if that’s where I need to do my job, then hopefully I can prepare accordingly and try to set the game up for the team and dig in for a period of time.”

He continued: “With a new ball, generally it requires a bit of searching, which offers up some runs, so hopefully I can do myself justice and face a lengthy or a good sum of balls and back myself. If I face a few dozen deliveries, I’ll be able to get some runs as well.”