Ryan Rickelton believes South Africa’s ability to remain disciplined with the bat will be crucial when the Proteas face Australia in the series-deciding third Test at Newlands, starting on Tuesday.

With the three-match series level at 1-1 following South Africa’s emphatic innings-and-31-run victory in Gqeberha, Rickelton says the Proteas must learn from the patience shown by captain Temba Bavuma if they are to overcome Australia’s formidable bowling attack.

Bavuma’s outstanding 179 in the second Test provided the foundation for South Africa’s victory, but Rickelton believes the innings offered an equally important lesson to the rest of the batting line-up.

Several batters from both teams have managed starts without converting them into substantial scores, something Rickelton believes comes down to maintaining discipline once they become comfortable at the crease.

“I think there’s two guys that have really kicked on within the series, obviously Renshaw and Temba,” Rickelton said ahead of the third Test.

“I think that’s what the importance of Temba’s innings showed to us, is that it can be done firstly.”

Bavuma’s 179 Provides a Lesson for the Batters

Rickelton believes one of the biggest lessons from the opening two Tests has been the importance of sticking to a batting plan for extended periods.

He pointed to Bavuma’s innings in Gqeberha and Matt Renshaw’s 190 in Durban as examples of the concentration required to succeed against high-quality bowling attacks.

“If I look at his innings in Durban, to his innings now in PE, I think the biggest thing is how he stuck to his game plan for a long period of time.

“And if you look at the guys that are getting off 30, 40, both sides, it’s that they’re getting in and they’re getting a little bit comfortable and they’re looking to start making plays within the game. And then that kind of branches out against their plan.”

Rickelton admitted that he had also been guilty of moving away from his approach after getting established.

“I was part of that. Bedingham has been part of that. So there have been a few guys from both sides.”

For Rickelton, the challenge is not simply surviving the opening stages of an innings but maintaining the same concentration once a batter has settled.

“Watching Temba’s innings and reflecting on that, even Matt Renshaw’s innings in Durban, the discipline of which they showed to stick to their plan for a full 100, 200, 300 balls has probably been the biggest thing to take away.”

He warned that neither bowling attack would allow batters many opportunities to recover from mistakes.

“When you look at both bowling lineups, you only give them half a sniff and you’re out. We’ve seen some incredible catches already.”

Rickelton believes the Proteas have enough batting talent to produce big scores if they can sustain their concentration.

“If we can do that, knowing all of us, we all score quick enough, if we can do that for a day, we’ll be getting some big hundreds.”

Adjusting to Life in the Middle Order

Rickelton also reflected on his move from opening the batting to a middle-order role, describing opening in Test cricket as the most demanding batting position.

“Opening the batting in Test cricket sucks. It’s hard. No, it’s really hard.”

Having occupied several positions in South Africa’s batting order, Rickelton says he has developed greater appreciation for the discipline required from opening batters.

He singled out Aiden Markram’s ability to control his attacking instincts against the new ball.

“I watch guys like Aiden, who’s quite a free-flowing player, rein himself in quite a lot.

“And he’s still one of those guys that looks to score, but his ability to hold himself back is really, I think, what it comes down to.”

While batting in the middle order can offer opportunities to score more freely against an older ball, Rickelton stressed that it also carries responsibility.

He revealed that batting coach Ashwell Prince had emphasised the importance of the middle order capitalising on the work done by the top three.

“Ashwell Prince mentioned that in our batters’ meeting, saying the top three are doing the hard work to put overs under the belts, to take the newness of the ball away.

“It’s the middle order’s job to make sure that they score the runs and cash in on the work that the openers and the top three did.”

Rickelton says the adjustment involves balancing his natural attacking game with the discipline required against Australia’s bowlers.

“Still looking to play my natural game, but still being tight within it.”

Newlands Familiarity Gives Rickelton Confidence

The return to Newlands provides Rickelton with an opportunity to play at a venue where he has enjoyed success in both domestic and international cricket.

Unlike St George’s Park, which he described as a challenging venue for his batting, Newlands is a ground where he feels comfortable.

“To come back to a ground where I’m very familiar with both red-ball and white-ball and I’ve had some good success at is quite comforting for me.

“I walked out here and I said to Kruger, it’s good to be home.”

Rickelton believes familiarity with the conditions can provide an important psychological advantage, particularly when a player is searching for runs.

“To come back to a place of familiarity, a place of success, recent success, past success as well, is something I think batters and players have a lot of confidence in and can draw from that.”

However, he cautioned against assuming that Newlands would necessarily provide favourable batting conditions.

“I’ve seen a Test match end in a day here. So it’s also quite eye-opening for me.

“So I’ll have to obviously adjust to the conditions.”

Rickelton Embracing His Wicketkeeping Responsibility

Rickelton also spoke about his experience behind the stumps during the second Test, explaining that wicketkeeping has helped him remain mentally engaged throughout the contest.

“It’s nice to be more involved in the game because sometimes when I’m just batting, I can stand on the boundary for 90 overs and kind of drift away.”

Having grown up keeping wicket and batting in the middle order, Rickelton says the additional responsibility has been enjoyable.

“I really enjoyed it, just being locked in every single ball.”

He also believes the concentration required behind the stumps can have a positive influence on his batting.

“I think it adds to my batting as well. A lot of intensity and a lot of focus on my glove work.”

One of the more unusual tactical decisions during the second Test involved Rickelton standing up to the stumps against Wiaan Mulder’s seam bowling.

Rickelton explained that the move was intended to disrupt the Australian batters’ thinking during periods when the bowlers were struggling to create opportunities.

“Sometimes I think it just changes the batter’s mindset.”

He suggested that standing up to Mulder may have encouraged the bowler to pitch the ball fuller, allowing deliveries to react off the worn areas of the surface.

“I feel like Wiaan maybe pushed it a little bit fuller. And that’s reacted off the divots in the wicket and gave us the opportunity to hit the stumps a lot more, instead of maybe trying to nick them off.”

Rickelton credited wicketkeeping coach Kruger van Wyk for helping him prepare for those situations, including training against quicker deliveries with a batter positioned in front of him.

“It was really enjoyable. It’s quite hard with Steve Smith batting because of his bat and his technique.

“But, yeah, nice learning for me, nice opportunity for me to get behind the sticks and actually show that I can do this in a Test match.”

Mulder Becoming More Than a Fourth Seamer

Rickelton was particularly impressed by Mulder’s performances during the first two Tests, believing the all-rounder has grown in confidence and responsibility.

“He’s bowling a lot quicker. He’s running in a lot more.”

Rickelton believes Mulder’s increased responsibility within the attack has encouraged him to become more assertive.

“He’s not just a fourth seamer there to kill some overs.

“He’s actually there to bowl good plans, good spells and take wickets.”

The wicketkeeper also highlighted the importance of communication between himself and Mulder, particularly when standing up to the stumps.

“He didn’t communicate when he bowled that bouncer, though, so I was quite mad about that,” Rickelton joked.

Despite that moment, he believes Mulder is developing into an increasingly important member of South Africa’s bowling attack.

“He’s really coming of age, especially with the ball. And I think he’s feeling quite confident at an international level in Test match cricket with the ball.

“I think he’s been phenomenal for us these first two games. And he’ll have a massive role to play this week.”

Rabada’s Presence Has Lifted the Proteas

Rickelton also credited Kagiso Rabada’s return for bringing additional intensity to South Africa’s performance in Gqeberha.

He believes Rabada’s presence allows other players, particularly Marco Jansen, to express their competitive personalities more freely.

“His presence, he obviously has a massive presence in the changing room. He has a massive presence on the field, and I think that allows Marco to express himself a little bit more as well.”

Rickelton suggested that Jansen may have felt the burden of leading the attack during the opening Test in Durban.

With Rabada back in the side, that responsibility was shared.

“It’s just pure competitiveness from Rabada. I think Jansen then gets up for it as well, and the boys kind of get going.”

Rickelton insisted that the Proteas had not held any major discussions about deliberately becoming more confrontational.

Instead, the focus was on ensuring Australia understood the challenge they were facing.

“Let’s show our presence in what we’re trying to do. Let’s let them feel our presence of who we are, and we’re not sure to fall over.”

He also expects Jansen to continue his competitive exchanges with Marnus Labuschagne, with the pair sharing an Afrikaans connection.

“I think with Marco’s aggression, they’ve had a good contest in the past, Jansen and Labuschagne.

“So he doesn’t shy away from that as well.”

A Chance to Make a Statement Against Australia

Beyond the immediate challenge of winning the series, Rickelton believes victory at Newlands could have a lasting impact on South Africa’s confidence and ambitions.

The Proteas are the reigning World Test Champions, but Rickelton acknowledged that consistently defeating the strongest teams remains an important part of establishing themselves at the top of international cricket.

“When we won the WTC, Temba spoke. It’s not just about this game per se. It’s about trying to leave a longer-lasting impression and to try to back that up.

“To back that up, you have to beat some of the best teams in the world.”

With Australia currently providing the challenge and further home series against England and Bangladesh on the horizon, Rickelton believes the Proteas have an opportunity to build something significant.

“If we can get over the line this week, the confidence that it injects into this side, into the coaching staff, and just the way that we do things is quite important for us.”

However, he stressed that the team cannot become distracted by future ambitions or the possibility of climbing to the top of the Test rankings.

“We’ve got a job here at hand, and we’ve got to keep being consistent in the way that we approach these games.”

For Rickelton, the immediate priority is clear: maintain the discipline that helped South Africa recover in Gqeberha and produce another complete performance at Newlands.

The third and final Test begins on Tuesday, 27 October, with the series level at 1-1.

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