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Explained: Why SA Have Preferred Kyle Verreynne Over Ryan Rickelton As Keeper In WTC Final

Anurag Dasgupta

Why Rickelton not keeping [Source: AP Photo] Why Rickelton not keeping [Source: AP Photo]

Cricket fans have set their eyes at the World Test Championship (WTC) final as Australia and South Africa are colliding in a riveting battle at the Lord's Cricket Ground. The overcast conditions in London is making up for a gritty battle as both the sides are eyeing to snatch momentum from one another.

The teams announced their playing XIs yesterday, however, when the game started, eyebrows were raised as Ryan Rickelton was not keeping the wickets for the Proteas, instead, Kyle Verreynne was doing the keeping duties.

Why the Proteas preferred Verreynne over Rickelton?

For starters, Verreynne is a Test specialist and has been keeping wickets for the Proteas in the game's longest format. He is more suitable for Test cricket as he is habitual of doing it. Rickelton normally does keeping in T20 format where you only need to do the job for 20 overs, instead of an entire day in Test cricket.

Hence, with both the keepers in the side, the Rainbow nation have gone ahead with a specialist keeper for this specialised role. Plus, keeping in whites is a challenging prospect since the ball moves in both the direction constantly and the gloveman has to be on his toes without breaking the concentration.

Verreynne, Rickelton key for the Proteas

Both the players are key for their team in this WTC finale against a rampant Australian side. Rickelton will open the batting alongside Aiden Markram and will need to negate the new ball from the Australian trio. If he negotiates the early phase, the Proteas will be on top.

Similarly, Verreynne is not only important as a keeper but has equal importance as a middle order batter. He will need to protect the team from a potential collapse, if it happens.