Ryan Rickelton hopes to be batting again in a month’s time following successful ankle surgery.
Rickelton was controversially left out of the Proteas Test squad for the tour of Australia last December-January due to an ankle injury that didn’t prevent him from playing domestic cricket for the Lions and scoring four hundreds in five weeks.
The left-handed batsman admitted he needed an operation, but said there was a plan in place for him to get through the summer by getting platelet injections (using the patient’s blood cells to treat an affected area) and managing the ankle. However, CSA’s chief medical officer Dr Shuaib Manjra insisted he was unfit to tour.
Rickelton was included in new Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad’s squad for the two-Test series against the West Indies in February-March but surprisingly not selected for the first Test in Centurion.
However, he did play in the second Test at the Wanderers – scoring 22 and 10 – before making his ODI debut in the subsequent series, in which he scored 14 and three.
Rickelton then finally went under the knife, in late March.
“I don’t think I would have been allowed to play cricket outside of South Africa if I didn’t get [the surgery] done,” the 26-year-old told the Sunday Times.
“It will open a few more doors for me. I’m glad to just be on the way now and, hopefully, batting again in four weeks. Obviously I’ve lost out on the [English] county season now, which is disappointing. But [the surgery] had to be done and, hopefully, I can make the best of what’s in front of me now.”
A national contract and public backing from Conrad has given Rickelton greater peace of mind heading into the new season.
“Having the new guys around, having them in the change-room and there being no third party does make it easier to gain more clarity about where you sit in the team and about your role,” he said.
“It was nice of Shuks to say I was going to play a big role for the Proteas, it takes a bit of weight off my shoulders for now. In saying that, there is still a hell of a lot to be done. The Proteas are still a tough team to get into.”
