Ryan Rickelton's outstanding century guides South Africa to beat Afghanistan in Champions Trophy 2025

South Africa start their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a win against Afghanistan by 107 runs. The huge margin gained them a good amount of NRR, which will be beneficial in the coming days of the tournament. The star of the game was the Proteas opener, Ryan Rickelton, who smashed a stunning ton in the first innings, helping the team score 315 runs.

Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, and Rassie van der Dussen made considerable contributions, scoring crucial half-centuries. Overall, it was a good game of cricket for both teams. However, the Afghanistan batting lineup couldn't capitalize on their strengths and were bowled out at just 208 runs. Rahmat Shah tried his best to change the team's fortune by scoring 90 runs off 92 balls, including nine boundaries and one six.

However, that wasn't enough, as he didn't get enough support from the other end. Kagiso Rabada was the best bowler in South Africa, as he claimed three wickets and conceded just 36 runs in nine overs. Lungi Ndigi and Wiaan Mulder took two wickets each. For a stellar performance, Ryan Rickelton won the Player of the Match award. 

Was nervous coming into today, first ICC event: Ryan Rickelton

Ryan Rickelton was the best player of today's game, as he scored a brilliant century. He ended up winning the POTM on his very first ICC event. The opener revealed that he was extremely nervous while coming to bat. He batted well in the game and will hope to continue the form in the upcoming games. 

"Was nervous coming into today, first ICC event. Was a bit edgy but happy to contribute to the team in a winning performance. We thought the surface would be a bit tacky, but it played alright. The bounce was a bit inconsistent but we worked our way through it. I thought we played nicely with the batting we had in the tank to get a competitive total on the board," said Ryan Rickelton during the post-match presentation.