South Africa National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton grabbed an absolutely stunning second-attempt catch to dismiss the England National Cricket Team modern-day batting great Joe Root in the ODI series opener.
The first ODI of the three-match series between the South Africa National Cricket Team and the England National Cricket Team is currently underway at Headingley in Leeds on Tuesday, September 2.
Joe Root falls for 14 against South Africa as Ryan Rickelton takes a stunner
England were invited to bat first in the match, and they were off to a poor start as opener Ben Duckett got out in the third over itself.
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After his dismissal, Joe Root arrived in the middle and started off his innings with an absolutely gorgeous-looking cover drive. England needed the modern-day batting great to play a big knock, but he was unable to do that.
Joe Root could only score 14 runs off 17 balls, with three boundaries, and got out in the eighth over, which was bowled by the right-arm quick Lungi Ngidi.
On the third ball of the over, Lungi Ngidi bowled a slightly fuller than a good length delivery to Joe Root. The ball shaped away after pitching, and Root tried to play at it, only managing to edge it behind the stumps.
As the ball went flying towards Ryan Rickelton, he dived low to his right and grabbed the ball one-handed. However, the ball popped out of his hand, but Ryan Rickelton showed quick reflexes and managed to grab it to send the batter packing.
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Watch: Ryan Rickelton grabs an unbelievable second-attempt stunner to send back Joe Root,
That’s some catch 👏
Root falls to Rickelton’s grab 🤲
🏴 #ENGvSA 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/phUds32FZo
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 2, 2025
The wicket looks on the drier side so it might get a bit of dew – Temba Bavuma
Speaking at the toss, the Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma said that they are trying to lock in their best playing XI with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 in mind. He elaborated:
“We’ll bowl first. The wicket looks on the drier side so it might get a bit of dew. The stats also suggest chasing is better here. We’ve got a new pair in Rickelton and Aiden, we’ve got some younger guys in the middle in Brevis, Stubbs and Mulder. We are at a stage where we are trying to find our best XI. (On the WTC win) It was exceptional, we felt people’s emotions and it brought some pride to South African cricket.”
Meanwhile, English skipper Harry Brook said that defending the score in Leeds is tough, but they are up for the challenge. He said:
“Would have bowled first as well. We try and set up for both batting and bowling, but today we would have bowled. I know this ground well and it is tough to defend. Really exciting evening for Sonny (Baker) – he had a really good Hundred and excited to see what he can offer for us. Really happy to have Jofra Archer back as well.”
