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South African wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen has been in red-hot form and is scoring runs for sheer fun at the moment. His purple patch began with the inaugural SA20 League and he is still going strong in the white-ball dominant year.
Klaasen has had to fight to stay relevant in the Proteas setup, with Quinton de Kock being the first-choice keeper across the white-ball squads. However, in the recent past, Klaasen has managed to make his case and compete for a spot in the playing XI even as a pure batter, with his numbers from franchise cricket backing his case.
His recent explosive innings for the Oval Invincibles in the ongoing Hundred yielded praise from legendary South African pacer Dale Steyn. The duo worked closely during their time in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) where Steyn serves as the bowling coach.
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Klaasen scored 60 runs off 27 deliveries in the Oval Invincibles' record 94-run win over the Manchester Originals at The Oval.
Following the innings, Steyn posted a tweet, that read:
"Heinrich Klaasen has to be, currently, top of the pile for 20/20 players right!!!???!!!!"
On that note, let us take a look at why Steyn is right about Heinrich Klaasen being among the top T20 batters in the world at present.
#1 Consistent across different leagues in different conditions
As previously mentioned, his streak began during the SA20 League on home soil. He scored 363 runs in the inaugural edition and finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer in the tournament, with a century to his name as well.
He then carried that form into the Indian Premier League as well, being SRH's best player by a landslide in a forgettable campaign for the franchise. Playing in the tournament after a four-year gap, the wicketkeeper-batter scored 448 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 177.08.
He then played a starring role for the Seattle Orcas in the Major League Cricket (MLC), and much like the previously mentioned leagues, lit up the tournament with yet another hundred to his name.
Maintaining consistency across such a prolonged period of time, and that too in such diverse conditions from one another, is truly remarkable and something which he would be hopeful of continuing.
#2 Proficient against pace and a nightmare for the spinners
His exploits in the recent past have potentially established him as the best player of spin bowling outside of the subcontinent, and arguably better than some players who have grown up facing spin all their lives on turning tracks.
With spin being such an integral part of T20 cricket, due to its role in earning a command in the middle overs, Klaasen's attribute is truly a gift. He smashed one of the best spinners in the world, Rashid Khan, for 26 runs in the MLC. Other spinners have also been at the receiving end of the South African's immense prowess.
His ability to read the length early, switch to the backfoot in time and use his obvious power to tonk the ball is a virtue that others envy.
Additionally, it is not like his blessed penchant for spin has led to susceptibility towards pace bowling, he still remains dominant on that front as ever.
#3 Ability to change the tempo of the game in quick time and even win games single-handedly
Batting in the middle order in the shortest format is a tough task. Batters have to walk back in varied circumstances, and in most cases, they do not have the luxury of settling down before going rogue.
The thing with Klaasen is that he looks like a well-settled batter right from the start itself. He hardly needs any time to find his rhythm and quickly adapt to the game situation.
His ability to score at a brisk rate, which is indicated by his career strike rate of 145, means that he can change the context of the game in a matter of a couple of overs.
Moreover, he also has the temperament to bat long with the same tempo and be a match-winner for his side.
Will Heinrich Klaasen be South Africa's star player at the 2024 T20 World Cup? Let us know what you think.
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