A Klaas of his own: Why Proteas heavyhitter could force Aussies into a tough selection call
With the possible exception of Virat Kohli in the final, no wicket brought more joy for Australia at the 2023 World Cup than Heinrich Klaasen in the Kolkata semi.
Partly, this was because it came from the golden arm of Travis Head, as Klaasen played meekly inside an off-break that turned only a little.
Heinrich Klaasen is bowled by Travis Head in the semi-final of cricket’s 2023 one-day international World Cup. Credit: Getty/AP
But the elation of the Australians was mainly because, to them, Klaasen is perhaps the single most destructive middle order player in white ball cricket today: that is, the most destructive player not named Glenn Maxwell.
After Josh Inglis led a masterful chase to defeat England in Lahore at the weekend, Australia’s undermanned bowling attack must now shape up to South Africa and Klaasen in Rawalpindi, known for its flat and featureless pitches. Klaasen missed the Proteas’ opening win over Afghanistan to rest an elbow problem, the better to be fit for Tuesday night’s game.
Possessing a keen eye, quick hands and enormous power, Klaasen can make biltong of most bowling, but especially spin. Since 2020, he has an average of better than 57 and a strike rate of more than 125 against spin, as against overall figures of 44 and 117 respectively. According to ESPNcricinfo, Klaasen’s clumping of spinners puts his strike rate comfortably ahead of every other batter in world cricket to have faced more than 500 balls of spin in that time.
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In franchise cricket, Klaasen’s destruction of spinners has been even more eye-popping. During the 2023 IPL, he hammered slow bowlers at a strike rate of 191 while averaging 132, and was similarly effective in 2024.
Klaasen’s most recent four ODI matches, all against Pakistan, reaped 351 runs from 270 balls while swatting 11 sixes. His lowest score in that sequence was 81.
Against Australia, Klaasen has been particularly damaging, slotting 578 runs in 13 matches at an average of nearly 58 and a strike rate of better than 120, while heaving 23 sixes in all. Thirteen of those came in a single innings at Centurion in mid-2023, when Klaasen clattered 174 from a mere 83 balls.
