How Klaasen Outclassed England And Proved The Protea Fire Is Glowing Only Much Brighter
Heinrich Klaasen slammed a blistering ton vs England [AP]
Heinrich Klaasen entered the World Cup, needless to say, the most important one-day event of the year, at the back of an inning that was the finest effort of 2023. However, one can't say whether the troll armies that are quick to discard anything achieved by anyone who's not part of the so-called 'Big Three'- India, England and Australia- would've agreed.
Not that the mild-mannered Klaasen, clearly a class of the field on that unforgettable Centurion day, would've cared. His uncomplicated approach to batting, sorry butchering Australia, in which he notched up 174 off just 83 odd deliveries, did compliment his off-field personality.
Not a man of too many words. Not a man who commands fan armies like that of the greats Virat or Smith, Williamson or KL Rahul, Root or Warner either; Klaasen's mode of operation is about doing things with the bat. He and his South Africa would much rather prefer it that way- wouldn't they?
Less hype, more action, more focus on results, caring ever so little about what's said and what's not in the aftermath of the game. Not that things changed even remotely, whatsoever, from that fourth one-dayer held on September 15, 2023 game.
While it were the Aussies led by Mitchell Marsh on that occasion who got gobsmacked at the SuperSport Park a few hours back, it was England's turn to come in the line of fire. And boy, did Klassen hammer them right or what?
While it was a bi-lateral series back then, right at the cusp of the big World Cup, yesterday at Wankhede, it was the World Cup contest that perhaps many had waited for with bated breath.
Those in attendance, if at all, dressed in Proteas green or, if not, then carrying the flame of the Proteas fire, such as one Pranay Rangra, unarguably, their biggest backer from India, would've remembered what happened to South Africa the sort they met England in the 2019 World Cup.
In what was then the campaign opener, South Africa were crushed by England. Just the right word to say, scenes that were filled with loss of hope and an embarrassing batting display where none, barring Quinton de Kock with his 68, were able to come to the party. England's Ben Stokes struck an 89 to lift the team to 311 and sent fans roaring at The Oval.
Klaasen's scintillating stroke play stole the show [AP]
In reply, if it could be called one from a South African perspective, Faf, the spirited skipper, failed as did Amla; the great actually fell to an Archer bouncer, literally speaking. Rassie, although, tried and struck a 50, the only other by a batsman in green, barring de Kock.
Needless to say, disappointment ensued, and that was that. But not on this occasion. Not at the Wankhede, where tracer bullets have flown not only from inside the commentary box but from the bat of Indian icons such as MS Dhoni.
Just that in a refreshing change of sorts, peppy even, it was Markram who put the English to the sword. October 21 wasn't about the great de Kock or the classy Markram. It wasn't about any other batsman in the wider world about whom we've heard endless narratives of greatness.
It was, unless it's very much forgotten, a day where David Wiley, Reece Topley, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood, of course, ran into Heinrich Klaasen.
After fluent fifties by Rassie Van Der Dussen (60 off 61) and Reeza Hendricks, perhaps even more underappreciated than RVD, the Proteas found themselves in a bit of a decent but not too flourishing situation with the score reading 243-5.
Why Miller played the shot he did not long after playing a picturesque shot straight down the ground, along the ground, by the way, was perhaps baffling.
But what was shocking was what was to happen after and to the English. Joined by Marco Jansen, easily one of the game's most impressive all-rounders, Klassen and Jansen engaged in butchery for the next thirteen overs.
From the onset of overs 46 to 48, the South Africans scored 35 runs. But the bigger damage had already been done courtesy a stand remarkable, unforgettable and emotional even from a Proteas angle. The 151-run stand that came off just 76 odd deliveries featured towering sixes and glowing boundaries where it wasn't certain who was winning.
Klaasen and Jansen formed a sensational stand [AP]
Was it England in the respite that, given the carnage ensuing, they were somehow able to restrict South Africa to an under 450 run total, or was it Klaasen's sheer bloody-minded determination to tear into his opponent?
Either way, the fielders on the ground were just spectators as one of contemporary cricket's most courageous batters held his nerve when maybe pressure could so easily have got to him, knowing well that if he'd flounder, it was game pretty much done for his team. Could Jansen have alone ferried the team along?
With four sixes and 12 boundaries, the wearer of the brown beard but also cool weathers struck 109 big runs that took just 11.1 overs in construction. Meanwhile, central to England's destruction also was hapless, clueless and perhaps nervous bowling that didn't help their cause a bit.
In the end, and it was evident with the way England's top order perished, as did the returning Stokes later, a win was never on the cards.
What Buttler, an imperious batsman when he gets going, would want to think about is how he and his team can bring back the majestic team from Her Majesty's kingdom to a winning position, if at all. Meanwhile, Klaasen wouldn't be complaining. Not one bit. Right?
![[Watch] Mark Wood's Killer Yorker Brings Heinrich Klaasen Down On His Knees](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1697892235369_Untitled design (3).jpg)
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