Durban - "C'mon oke show me what you've got!"
That was Ryan Rickelton's motivational message to his MI Cape Town opening partner Dewald Brevis that set the stage for a blistering knock by the teenager in Tuesday night's rousing Betway SA20 tournament opener at Newlands.
Brevis stole the headlines with an undefeated 70 not out, which included five sixes, to steer MI Cape Town to a crushing eight-wicket victory over their neighbours Paarl Royals.
But it was Rickelton that set the chase in motion from the outset with a couple of gorgeous cover drives and pulls against the new ball.
In contrast, Brevis was seemingly setting up the platform for his eventual assault later on. However, it was Rickelton that let know that the time was now right to shift gears.
"I started quite nicely which gave him a bit of time, but as I started slow down a bit 'I was like c'mon oke show me what you got'," Rickelton told the media.
"And then he took on Ferisco (Adams) and that got him going quite nicely. He is such a clean striker of the ball.
"I think the freedom of knowing that we have Sam, Rassie, Grant, Delano, George in the bag really helps us play confidently.
Rickelton (42 off 33 balls) and Brevis shared a 90-run opening stand that ensured there would be no speed wobbles enroute to the Royals' 143-run target.
Dewald Brevis lit up the opening day of the #Betway #SA20 with this kind of ball striking 🥶 pic.twitter.com/HP2HXwVObz
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) January 10, 2023
The left-hander, who has been in rich vein of form across formats leading up to the SA20, believes having someone of the calibre of Proteas legend Hashim Amla in the MI Cape Town dressing room will certainly elevate his game even further.
"I actually forgot that he's (Amla) still playing. He is quite a simple coach. That's the nice part of someone still playing. I am probably more a player closer to him than someone like Dewald is, so we've formulated a few plans," Rickleton said.
"He, of course, played for the Cobras for a number of years, and for South Africa in Cape Town, so he has a good understanding of Newlands. We've worked out something nice for myself."
🗣️ "Me and AB's relationship is very special for me, he's played a key role in my development."
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) January 10, 2023
Dewald Brevis reacts to his epic innings in the #Betway #SA20 opener.
It could all have gone horribly wrong for Rickleton though had Dane Vilas held on to a relatively simple chance at mid-off in Codi Yusuf's first over. The left-hander scooped an attempted drive straight to Vilas and could not believe his luck when the chance went a begging.
"My heart sank as I hit. I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a pretty good ball to hit through the off side," he said.
"I don't know what happened with Dane. I probably owe him a beer at the end of the night."
MI Cape Town will hope Rickelton's good fortune continues and that the blossoming opening partnership with Brevis resumes in their second game against Durban Super Giants at Newlands on Friday.