How Proteas opener used T20 game to unleash Test match confidence

In relative terms, Ryan Rickelton is fairly new on the international cricket scene. But his impact has been quite immediate.

With just 10 Test matches to his name, the 28-year-old brings the assertiveness to a South African side that’s fought their way to the pointy end of world cricket in the most recent World Test Championship cycle.

And against the high profile Aussie bowling attack that the Proteas will contend with at Lord’s in the WTC Final, lacking self belief can very quickly become a problem.

Luckily for South Africa, that reality isn’t something their star opener is shying away from.

“There's no doubt there'll be a lot of butterflies and stuff floating around, but I have my own methods and how I try to deal with it,” he told ICC Digital.

Part of Rickelton’s emergence has been adapting to different formats and being exposed to a variety of high pressure environments. And there are few bigger than a World Test Championship Final at Lord’s, against the defending champions.

Thankfully for the South African, his aggressive batting has presented regular opportunities in the shorter formats that will assist him in handling the occasion, despite how much less Test experience he has versus some of his Australian counterparts.

The Johannesburg native has been attempting to fast-track his ability to be comfortable in intense cricketing scenarios.

“I've taken a lot of confidence out of my T20 game actually and the experience and the exposure you get around the world of just playing T20 cricket,” he continued.

“Playing in India with full houses, where they live and die for the sport, really gives you that confidence that if you can walk out there and be in control of your mind and your body, you can take a lot of pride and, again, a lot of confidence going into other arenas.

“Coming (straight) from the IPL, having played against the best players in the world, both Indian and international, you just get a firsthand feel for it. High pressure moments frequently, a few times every week, lots of eyes on you all the time, lots of expectations from owners, teammates, fans, just people, people around you.

“I probably take a lot of confidence out of it that you can deal with the game at that pace, at that level. That skill set, it's chalk and cheese (from Test batting).

"Trying to marry the two of them for me opening the batting, but if you can take that mental confidence out of it, saying that ‘I can handle it here, what are the things that I need to rein in about myself to give myself the best chance of competing on a Test match level?’

"It's probably the most difficult challenge, but once you've worked through those technical attributes and the intricacies of cricket, you can find the way you move and the way you think about the game can be a lot more confident.

“(I'm) looking forward to obviously trying to take that confidence onto the field.”

Rickelton admitted that he, like almost any cricketer that’s had the privilege of playing a Test at Lord’s, dreams of having his name on the ground’s honour board. For him, as a dedicated batter, that would mean scoring a century.

But the left-hander was quick to zoom in on the mental challenge that’s required to pull off an individual achievement of that magnitude.

“It's really just trying to stay extremely present,” he continued.

“Naturally, it's easy to think ahead, to think about the past, but that doesn't benefit you the closer you get. That's probably where the mental battle lies for me… trying to make sure that I'm really switched on for the moment that's underfoot. And if I can do that, I generally give myself the best chance of having a good day out, provided that I've prepared well and you take confidence from that as well.”

He will open the batting for South Africa along with highly acclaimed right-hander Aidan Markram. Against the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, the pair have a monumental task.

But, regardless of how it all unfolds at Lord’s, it’s quite clear Rickelton won’t lack the required self belief.