Quinton de Kock’s return to the international setup was always going to put pressure on Ryan Rickelton given they both occupy the same spot in the batting order while also sharing the same secondary role on the field. While he has already now lost his spot in the T20I setup with a World Cup looming large, Rickelton’s stocks have now gone further down following the conclusion of this series. Named as a reserve in the squad, Rickelton received an opportunity to play the opening ODI in the absence of Temba Bavuma and again in the final game as a result of Tony de Zorzi’s injury. However, he ended up registering ducks in both the games which will cast doubts over his immediate future in the white-ball arena. To add to South Africa’s frustration, they also moved Aiden Markram down to No.5 despite his century in the last game, just to accommodate Rickelton in his natural position. The move failed as Markram departed for just 1.
