De Kock v Rickelton, with a dash of Nortje

Was Quinton de Kock watching? Maybe not. But he would have known, by the time he walked out to open the batting with Jonny Bairstow for Paarl Royals against Sunrisers Eastern Cape at Boland Park on Saturday, what Ryan Rickelton had done at Newlands the night before.

Rickelton scored 113 off 63 balls in a vain attempt to chase 233 for Mumbai Indians Cape Town against Durban's Super Giants.

To many, Rickelton's performance mattered more than the result. The deadline for naming squads for the T20 World Cup is Friday. There will likely be space for only one of De Kock or Rickelton—both Johannesburg-born, left-handed wicketkeeper-batters—in South Africa's squad.

It was Rickelton's first century in 41 innings across all formats. Twenty-two of those innings were in Asia, but it would be simplistic to write off his chances based on that alone. He scored a hundred in Karachi in February and made 388 runs at a strike rate of 150.97 in this year's IPL.

Rickelton doesn't have a problem playing in the subcontinent, but the restrictive environment for prominent players can be challenging.

Asked if players would use the SA20 to push for World Cup selection, Rickelton said, "This tournament is a platform for players to put their hands up but I'm definitely not thinking about it. I want to win this tournament with this team."

He added, "It's nice to be in a change of kit with a different group. It's a different feel, a different experience. You're just trying to enjoy the game. When you're not finding that in India it can be quite hard."

Rickelton acknowledged he performs well at Newlands, where he has scored three centuries in five first-class innings, including 259 in a Test against Pakistan. In T20s, he has more runs at Newlands than anywhere else.

"I've drawn a lot of confidence playing at Newlands," Rickelton said. "I think I'm happier in Cape Town. I just enjoy it. The conditions have been good for batting these last couple of years, and I enjoy the lifestyle here."

He continued, "Sometimes in cricket we dive into our heads very easily. I think that's what makes touring the subcontinent quite hard—it's tough to get out of your own head. The beauty of Cape Town is that you get the opportunity to be outside and experience more than the game of cricket in your head."

Runs don't come as easily on Paarl's slow surface, so De Kock's 24-ball 42 on Saturday was valuable. However, Sunrisers Eastern Cape were bowled out for 49 in 12 overs, the worst batting performance in SA20 history.

Kyle Verreynne addressed the performance: "Small targets, we've got to get to 50 first. There's always potential for a game like this in a tournament. We've got a changeroom of guys who are all hitting the ball nicely, so we've got to start again."

Anrich Nortje was key to SEC's win, taking 4/13 in 18 deliveries. His name is likely already on the World Cup squad list.

Saturday's game was Nortje's 13th of the year—significant for a player with injury struggles. His aggressive bowling showed no signs of holding back.

"You've got to trust your body; you can't worry about this and that," Nortje said. "You know when something's wrong. By then it's probably too late. But you have to trust whatever you have to trust to get the ball in the right area."

Despite injuries, Nortje has stayed busy, playing at least 36 matches a year from 2021 to 2024. Fewer than half were for South Africa, due to injuries and his focus on T20 cricket.

"When I've been out I've been motivated to come back better," Nortje said. "It's probably the best time to build when you're not injured and you go into the off-season. But there are no proper off-seasons anymore. It's always cricket, cricket."

Nortje and De Kock will next play on Monday when Paarl faces Sunrisers Eastern Cape at St George's Park. Nortje has a T20 economy rate of 7.22 there, lower than on most grounds he's played. De Kock has a highest score of 86 at the venue.

Will Rickelton be watching? Probably not.