Who said what after Ryan Rickelton, pacers help South Africa thrash Afghanistan

Ryan Rickelton admitted that he was a bit nervous ahead of his first match at the Champions Trophy, while Temba Bavuma was happy with his team's clinical performance on the day. Hasmatullah Shahidi rued Afghanistan's batting performance as they were beaten by South Africa on Friday, February 21.

In Short

• South Africa beat Afghanistan by 107 runs in Karachi
• Rickelton scored 103 off 106 balls for South Africa
• Afghanistan crumbled in the front of the Proteas pacers despite Rahmat's 90

Ryan Rickelton's hundred and a demolition job from the pacers ensured that South Africa secured a win to start their Champions Trophy campaign on Friday, February 21. The Proteas won the match by 107 runs as Afghanistan were never in the run chase as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals before a valiant 90 from Rahmat Shah ensured they got past the 200-run mark.

The tone for the game was set by Rickelton, who scored 103 off 106 balls and was well-supported by captain Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram, who scored fifties. South Africa ended up with a score of 315 for 6 in the first innings. Kagiso Rabada then led from the front with the ball and took 3 wickets for 36 in 8.3 overs, while Lungi Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder picked up two each as Afghanistan were bundled out for 208 runs in 43.3 overs.

Champions Trophy: Full Coverage | Points Table

Rickelton was adjudged as the Player Of The Match and admitted he was a bit nervous on his ICC tournament debut. However, the wicketkeeper was happy to perform well and help his side get a big score in the end.

"Bit of a different one. I was quite nervous coming in today. My first full ICC tournament. I was a bit edgy but happy to contribute to the team in a winning performance. To contribute to the team and set us up for a win is something I take pleasure in."

"We thought it would be tacky up front, but it played out all right. The bounce was a bit inconsistent, but you adjusted accordingly. I thought we could have pushed a bit harder, but Aiden played a great knock at the back there to get a competitive total."

Rickelton got out in a bizarre manner and he expressed his disappointment at it. The 28-year-old also said that he was looking to make improvements to his work behind the stumps.

"I was disappointed to get out, especially in that manner. I thought Rashid Khan threw it at my head. But the guys who came in after me pulled the trigger."

"Opening the batting and wicketkeeping was something I've done since I was young, something I take pride in. It was not the best night with the gloves, but I learned from my mistakes," said Rickelton.

What the captains said

Temba Bavuma felt that it was a clinical performance from his side and praised the bowlers for hitting the length hard and got the rewards.

"I think it was a clinical performance from us. We got the rub of the green with the toss. Took a brave call as we did not know how the wicket will play. Probably a perfect outing for us.

"The wicket looked different than what we have witnessed in Pakistan. It was more like what we get back at home. I think as batters, you have to assess the conditions and do what needs to be done to put ourselves in a better position."

"The guys at the backend, we pride ourselves in having a strong finish. We found it difficult when it was in a good area. Our tall guys hit the length hard and got the reward."

"We take the learnings from this game and look to gear up for what we need to do against Australia," said Bavuma.

Hasmatullah Shahidi felt that Afghanistan's batting effort wasn't good enough on the day, especially in the first 20 overs. The Afghan captain said his team will forget the outcome on Friday and focus on the next 2 games against Australia and England.

"I think we didn't bat good enough tonight. The pitch was helping them in the second innings. We did well in the bowling, but we were not so good in the first 20 overs with the bat."

"The toss was important. There were cracks on the pitch. It was not a typical Karachi pitch. Their bowlers bowled well, too. They bowled in the right areas and lengths."

"My expectation was to play well, and we achieved a lot coming to this tournament. We have the ability to fight but we didn't play the way we wanted. We have two games, so we will forget what happened and look forward."

"Rahmat played really well in tough times; we will take that as a positive. We will move forward and play quality cricket in the next two games," said Shahidi.

South Africa will next face Australia on February 25 while Afghanistan play England on February 26.