South Africa power-hitter Heinrich Klaasen admits he was ‘shocked’ by England’s tactics in their record-breaking defeat to the Proteas, as he insists his team are in a ‘fantastic position’ to win their first World Cup
- South Africa thrashed England by 229 runs at the World Cup in India
- England chose to field first in 37 degree heat, shocking Klaasen and his team
- South Africa have won six of their seven matches at the World Cup so far
Sheltered away from the hustle and bustle of India, Heinrich Klaasen sits down poolside at South Africa’s team hotel.
Such is Klaasen’s superstar status in this country that there is no chance this interview can even take place in the hotel lobby. He tells Mail Sport that he had to return after five minutes in the shopping mall next door because he was mobbed by fans.
As one of the most destructive batters in the world on current form, Klaasen’s reputation here is built on his six-hitting ability. It has cemented his status as one of the IPL’s most valuable players and saw him demolish England in Mumbai with a 61-ball century.
Of all the players to have scored at least 200 runs at the World Cup, his strike rate of 151.44 is comfortably the best. Going into Sunday’s clash against India in Kolkata, Klaasen averages a six every 12 deliveries in the tournament and a boundary every five balls. No one else comes close.
Earlier this year, Dale Steyn tweeted: ‘Heinrich Klaasen has to be currently top of the pile for 20/20 player right!!!???!!!.’ To which, AB de Villiers replied: ‘Absolutely’.
Heinrich Klaasen (pictured) scored a remarkable century against England at the World Cup
England toiled away in the heat after electing to bowl first, and Klaasen has admitted he was ‘shocked’ by the team’s tactics
So, to that ton against England on the third-hottest October day in Mumbai in the last decade as temperatures hit 37 degrees. Klaasen admits that South Africa were ‘shocked’ when Jos Buttler chose to field, with the England captain saying that it was ‘generally a good ground for chasing.’
Buttler had considered the 75 percent win record in ODIs over the past decade for chasing teams at the Wankhede Stadium. The sample size for that, however, was just four matches.
‘We were shocked. We wanted to bat first purely because of the heat.’ Klaasen tells Mail Sport. ‘It was one of the hottest days I’ve ever played in so when they decided to bowl first, we were so surprised.
‘Imagine if there was cloud cover on the morning of a Test Match in England? You’d always bowl first so if you compare it to that, we were shocked, but it worked in our favour,’ insists Klaasen.
The England fielders wilted away in the heat with players constantly going on and off the field. In the last nine overs, South Africa smashed 135 runs on their way to 399 for seven – the highest ODI total that England have ever conceded – and Klaasen reached his maiden World Cup hundred, finishing with 109 off 67 deliveries and mainly dealing in boundaries.
‘The message that came out from our batters early on was not to run our twos unless it was an obvious two and to try to walk our singles to save energy. Us guys in the changing rooms started laughing but they were dead serious,’ says Klaasen.
‘We saw how tough it was for the England fielders out there so the plan was to bat deep and break them. Mark Wood hit me on the foot twice and I was so tired so I celebrated in his face but that was just pure emotion with everything happening,’ he adds.
A few hours later, Buttler’s side fell to England’s biggest-ever defeat in ODI history and the sudden decline of the defending champions has surprised many, including Klaasen.
South Africa went on to beat England by 229 runs as they slipped to their heaviest ODI defeat
In their opening four games, Matthew Mott used all 15 players in England’s squad and Klaasen speaks from personal experience about the importance of stability.
‘I’ve been there before. It’s tough when you don’t have the full backing because you end up playing for your own position rather than the team. England have such an aggressive brand of cricket that the moment you second-guess yourself because you’re playing for your spot, it’s difficult to execute,’ Klaasen says.
‘You need the backing to know you can fail every now and then. You can see the impact it has mentally when teams are chopping and changing.’
We speak during the week after Springboks beat the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final in Paris. Apart from the hosts, Temba Bavuma’s Proteas have been the most impressive side at the Cricket World Cup and Klaasen reveals they are determined to replicate the success of their compatriots.
‘We take so much inspiration from the Boks and how they always get the job done. We had a team meeting where we spoke about the similarities we have with the Springboks – that willingness to grind out results like we did against Pakistan and trusting each other,’ he says.
South Africa’s rugby team won the World Cup for the fourth time last week in France
Klaasen thinks the South Africa cricket team are in a ‘fantastic position’ to emulate the Springboks
‘We come from such a diverse nation and such tough times in our country. We deal with 11 different cultures, so our changing room is unique. Everyone’s gone through their own hardships, and you realise how far we’ve all come,’ Klaasen adds.
To date, a world title in cricket has evaded the Proteas but during their time in India, the players have stressed that they aren’t weighed down by the baggage of the past. Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has even publicly urged the country to get behind the cricketers.
‘For the Bokke to win two World Cups in a year would be insane. There’s a lot of emphasis on the fact that we haven’t won a trophy, but it would be next level for our country (to win),’ Klaasen insists.
‘We’re in a fantastic position to change that and we’ve had lots of messages from the Springboks urging us to go win this thing. We’re in a very good space that I’ve not really felt before and we’re all looking forward to the challenges ahead.’
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