Ryan Rickelton says he begged CSA convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang to pick him for the Proteas’ Test tour of Australia.
When the 16-man Proteas squad was announced last month, CSA said an ankle injury had ruled Rickelton out of contention but that he was still able to play domestic cricket for the Lions.
Since then, the 26-year-old has scored 15, 100*, 108* and 17 in the 4-Day Series and 126, 99 and 110 in the One-Day Cup.
“I was surprised that I wasn’t going to Australia [with the Proteas],” Rickelton told Rapport newspaper. “[The selectors] usually call you a day or two before the time to say you’re in or you’re out.
“I was at the golf course at Sun City on the Sunday and Victor called me. He said I am in the squad and the plan is for me to go [to Australia], but there is a medical cross next to my name.
“I told him I can play, I have a plan in place. There was little communication between the doctors and Vic, and he didn’t know what was going on.
“Vic said he would call me back, he was just going to talk to Dr Shuaib Manjra [CSA’s chief medical officer]. I waited between half an hour and 45 minutes, and when I didn’t hear anything, I called Dr Manjra.
“I asked why they were stopping me from going, as I have a plan that my surgeon approved. Dr Manjra said I can’t go with [the team].
“After that, I called Vic and basically begged him: ‘Vic, please, I need someone to stand up for me.’ But nobody did. The communication … it was a day before the time, and no one spoke to me before that. It wasn’t a good situation, and I had three hours to try to sort it out, but the doctor didn’t want to know anything.”
Manjra told Rapport that the decision to leave Rickelton out was a difficult one.
“We spoke in detail with the selection committee, the coaches and his own medical team. He has a serious ankle injury, for which he needs an operation.
“We have a policy that we do not take an injured player on tour. There’s no reason why the injury can’t flare up again in Australia.”
