South Africa believe Rickelton will thrive in new role

Following a heavy 214-run defeat to Australia in the opening match of the ICC World Test Championship series in Durban, South Africa are making vital adjustments as they eye a comeback in Gqeberha.

Among the key shifts is Ryan Rickelton taking over the wicketkeeping duties, a move the team's coaching staff believes will only enhance his involvement in the game.

South Africa fielding coach Kruger van Wyk stressed that Rickelton's transition behind the stumps will be smooth, noting that the batter never truly stepped away from his wicketkeeping craft.

"When we take the early bus, Ricks always comes along. Even when he doesn't keep in matches, he still comes and does his work," Van Wyk, the former New Zealand wicketkeeper said.

"He is diligent with his work. Even when he just plays as a batter, in the white-ball stuff as well, he does his keeping work as well. So it's not like he's had to dust them (his keeping pads and gloves) off and start over again."

Van Wyk expressed complete confidence in Rickelton's technical abilities and readiness for the red-ball international arena, drawing comparisons to his exploits in franchise leagues.

"I think he's a first-choice keeper," Van Wyk said.

"He has kept unbelievably well. And if you follow white-ball cricket and his performances in IPL, you know it's still a ball coming down at you. It's still cricket. The movements are the same. The way you glove it is exactly the same. Technically, he is very good."

While conditions in South Africa present different challenges compared to turning tracks abroad, Van Wyk pointed out that Rickelton's prior experience keeping to elite global talent prepares him well for the assignment.

"He's not going to get tested as much in South Africa with spin, where the real test will come in the subcontinent - Sri Lanka, going forward," Van Wyk said.

"In South African conditions, the ball bounces more than it spins. We saw a bit of spin in Durban but it's not excessive. So, when we get to the fifth day, we've done a lot of work with that as well."

"And Ricks has kept to really good spinners before as well, (like to) Rashid Khan. He's kept to everyone. So the bowlers he will keep to are familiar to him. I'm confident he will do a good job."

Van Wyk added that the extra responsibility of wearing the gloves should prove beneficial for Rickelton's overall focus and leadership on the field. The batter had scored nought and two in South Africa's defeat in Durban.

"With regard to managing energies, resources and concentration, I think it's going to be really good for Ricks to have the gloves," he said.

"It engages him in the game even more. He's someone who thrives with extra responsibility. Having the gloves is going to be good for his game overall. He's a natural leader as well. So I've got no worries about his tank being too small and him not being able to switch from keeping to batting. He's been doing it for years anyway. He'll be fine," he added.

Addressing the external pressure on the team after the series opener, Van Wyk maintained that the players are simply focused on executing their roles under the spotlight.

"Everyone wants to do well. It's not a case of when you have to do well it becomes a problem," van Wyk said.

"It's nothing different from what you normally face in an international sport."

While spin had its say it Durban, it was the pacers who made the most of the conditions, especially Australia's senior paceman Josh Hazlewood, who picked 6/49, as the Proteas were bowled out for 206 in the final innings.

The South African pitches support pace and bounce but Durban had enough turn to warrant playing a spinner. Thus, Australia's experienced trio: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood made their presence felt at various stages in Durban but Scott Boland, who averages merely 18.58 with the ball, sat on the bench as Nathan Lyon served as the fourth specialist bowler.

But Boland might still have a role to play going ahead, reckons fellow pacer Hazlewood.

"He barely bowls poorly," Hazlewood was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. "Every net the boys come in, it's like, geez, Scotty again."

As the series moves to Gqeberha and Cape Town, the conditions are expected to become even more helpful to the pacers, which could make Australia look at boosting their pace attack with Boland.

"I think he'll play a part in this series (and) I think he'll play a part in the next 12, 18 months. (He's a) class act, his record ridiculous."

Boland's presence as an added seamer could ease out the pressure on Australia's senior pacemen, especially in a busy year ahead, which is all set to feature a four-Test series against New Zealand at home, a five-game series in India early next year, followed by a five-Test Ashes later in 2027.

"It probably makes it a bit easier on us if we are struggling from time to time to then think Scotty's there, ready to go. It can make those conversations a bit easier and it's more of a unit.

"Moving forward we can, not miss those big chunks but we might miss a week or two here and there and things settle quicker and we've just got a nice unit here at the moment."

Hazlewood also discussed the impact of reverse swing in South African conditions and how the Australian pacers were able to bring that factor into play.

"It's probably with Australia (pitches) being the green seamers, it (reverse swing) just doesn't get talked about at all.

"The ball still looks new late in the innings if it gets that far. So it's more, if you go back to SCG years ago, we definitely got reversed there every year.

"Here in South Africa, it was just an abrasive wicket, it was very hard underfoot. We probably got a hint of it in the first innings and then as the game goes, it just sort of deteriorates more and you get a bit more. So we knew it was crucial."

For Hazlewood, the reverse swing factor came into play on wickets where the ball remained a tad bit harder, and the movement wasn't exaggerated.

"You probably want the ball a bit harder and a little bit of reverse swing rather than a lot of reverse swing with the ball soft. It's much easier to navigate as a batsman. You still want that carry with a harder ball. Just a hint of reverse swing I think is the key."

Australia, who are the table toppers, will look to seal the series and gain crucial ICC World Test Championship points with a win in Gqeberha.

Proteas Men’s Squad - Second Dafabet Test against Australia

Temba Bavuma (captain, DP World Lions), Marques Ackerman (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), David Bedingham (YesPlay Cobras), Matthew Breetzke (Dafabet Warriors), Corbin Bosch (Momentum Multiply Titans), Gerald Coetzee (DP World Lions), Simon Harmer (Momentum Multiply Titans), Marco Jansen (Momentum Multiply Titans), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Aiden Markram (Momentum Multiply Titans), Wiaan Mulder (DP World Lions), Senuran Muthusamy (Dafabet Warriors), Anrich Nortje (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Dane Paterson (YesPlay Cobras), Kagiso Rabada (DP World Lions), Ryan Rickelton (DP World Lions) and Kyle Verreynne (YesPlay Cobras).

Fixtures

First Test - South Africa lost to Australia by 214 runs @ Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium, Durban

Second Test - Sunday, 18 - Thursday, 22 October at 10am @ Dafabet St George’s Park, Gqeberha

Third Test - Tuesday, 27 - Saturday, 31 October at 10.30am @ YesPlay Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town