Makeshift opener Ryan Rickelton posted the joint seventh highest score by a South African in Test cricket with 259 to help his team to a massive 566 for seven at tea on the second day of the second and final Test against Pakistan at Newlands on Saturday.
The left-hander was dismissed 10 minutes before the break after hitting 29 fours and three sixes in a 343-ball stay at the wicket that put his team firmly in control of the match.
Rickelton formed a partnership of 235 with captain Temba Bavuma (106) on the first day and 148 with Kyle Verreynne (100) as the South African batsmen made money in the sweltering Cape Town conditions.
Having been lifted to open the innings due to an injury to Tony de Zorzi, Rickelton was finally dismissed when he tried a tired hit to seamer Mir Hamza and ducked a catch to Mohammad Abbas at mid-wicket.
Tall all-rounder Marco Jansen is unbeaten on 57 off 48 balls and will resume after the break with Keshav Maharaj, who has two.
Rickelton, who scored his first Test century against Sri Lanka last month, resumed the morning session at 176 and continued where he left off by dismissing Pakistan’s second new ball.
Verreynne bangs
The tourists removed David Bedingham for five when he became the fifth victim of wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan’s innings, this time bowling Abbas (2-93) with a poor shot outside off stump.
That brought Verreynne to the wicket and, after a nervy start, he unleashed his full range of strokes on the weary tourists, reaching his fourth Test century off 144 balls with five sixes before Aamer Jamal caught him on the boundary. midwicket off spinner Salman Agha. (3-129).
When Pakistan bat, they will be without opener Saim Ayub due to a broken ankle sustained on 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 yet-to-be-confirmed opponents, but are looking to win this series 2-0 after claiming a tense first Test by two wickets in Pretoria.
