Ryan Rickelton’s Brilliant Century Powers South Africa to 315/6 vs Afghanistan – CT 2025
Ryan Rickelton made a strong debut in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He scored a century. This helped South Africa make 315/6 against Afghanistan at the National Cricket Stadium in Karachi. Rickelton replaced Heinrich Klaasen in the lineup. He scored 103 runs off 106 balls. He hit seven fours and one six, helping to anchor the Proteas’ innings.
South Africa’s Batting Performance
South Africa’s top order shone brightly. Temba Bavuma scored 58 runs. Rassie van der Dussen followed with 52. Aiden Markram added 50. All three made half-centuries. Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat. He built a steady start with Rickelton. Then, Markram and van der Dussen picked up the pace of the innings.
South Africa scored 315 runs for 6 wickets in 50 overs. This set a tough target for Afghanistan in their first Champions Trophy match.
INNINGS CHANGE! 🔁@MohammadNabi007 (2/51), @AzmatOmarzay (1/39), @fazalfarooqi10 (1/59) and @noor_ahmad_15 (1/65) chipped in with wickets as the @ProteasMenCSA posted 315/6 runs on the board in the first. 👍#AfghanAtalan | #ChampionsTrophy | #AFGvSA |… pic.twitter.com/fzVUrjdY48
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) February 21, 2025
Afghanistan’s Bowling Effort
Afghanistan’s bowling attack struggled to contain South Africa’s batting lineup. Mohammad Nabi stood out as the bowler with 2 wickets. Rashid Khan, however, ended up without any wickets. Afghanistan’s bowlers should take time to regroup before their next group matches.
Group B Outlook & Tournament Context
South Africa and Afghanistan are in Group B with England and Australia. The Proteas, who won the first ICC Champions Trophy in 1998, want to bounce back. They faced six ODI losses in a row before the tournament.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi responded to calls for teams to boycott matches. These calls stem from the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s sports. He dismissed them as outside distractions.
Pakistan Hosts Its First Major ICC Event in 29 Years
This Champions Trophy is Pakistan’s first ICC event in almost 30 years. They last co-hosted the World Cup in 1996 with India and Sri Lanka. In other tournament games, New Zealand beat Pakistan. Also, India won against Bangladesh in Group A matches.
Full Team Lineups
South Africa:
Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (captain), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
Afghanistan:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
