Proteas’ Rickelton hits career-best 259 in 2nd Test against Pakistan

Proteas opener Ryan Rickelton made his highest score in any form of domestic or international cricket with 259 on day two of the second Test against Pakistan in Cape Town.

Rickelton reached his double century before lunch and, along with Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen, extended South Africa’s lead between lunch and tea.

The Proteas rocketed from 429 for 5 at lunch to 566 for 7 at tea as Rickelton went past 250. Verreynne got a century and Jansen a fifty.

Pakistan eventually got Rickelton out in the hour before tea while Verreynne was dismissed earlier for exactly 100. Jansen is unbeaten at tea on 57 and Keshav Maharaj is with him on 2.

Rickelton put on a partnership of 235 with captain Temba Bavuma (106) on the first day and 148 with Kyle Verreynne (100) as the South African batters made hay in the sweltering conditions in Cape Town.

Having been elevated to open the innings due to an injury to Tony de Zorzi, Rickelton was finally dismissed when he attempted a tired swipe at seamer Mir Hamza and skied a catch to Mohammad Abbas at mid-on.

Tall all-rounder Marco Jansen is unbeaten on 57 from 48 balls and will resume after the interval with Keshav Maharaj, who has two.

Rickelton, who scored his maiden test century against Sri Lanka last month, resumed in the morning session on 176 and continued where he left off in seeing off Pakistan’s second new ball.

VERREYNNE HITS OUT

The tourists removed David Bedingham for five as he became wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan’s fifth victim of the innings, this time off the bowling of Abbas (2-93) with a poor shot outside off-stump.

That brought Verreynne to the wicket and after a nervous start, he unleashed his full array of strokes on the tiring tourists, reaching his fourth test century from 144 balls with five sixes before he was caught by Aamer Jamal on the midwicket boundary off spinner Salman Agha (3-129).

When Pakistan bat, they will be without in-form opener Saim Ayub due to an ankle fracture sustained in the field on the first morning, limiting them to nine wickets in each of their innings.

Ayub is expected to be out for around six weeks and will be a doubt for Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy squad.

South Africa have already claimed their place in June’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s against as yet unconfirmed opponents, but are looking to win this series 2-0 after claiming a tense first test by two wickets in Pretoria.-Additional reporting by Reuters