Heinrich Klaasen of South Africa extended his amazing run in the 2023 World Cup with another blistering innings of 90 (49) against Bangladesh on Tuesday (October 24) at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. It followed his spectacular century against England in the previous match at the same stadium.
Earlier in the day, South African captain Aiden Markram won the toss and chose to bat first. Bangladesh got off to a fantastic start, reducing the Proteas to 36/2 after eight overs. Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram then anchored the innings with a 131-run third-wicket stand. After a fluent half-century, Markram (60) was out in the 31st over.
Heinrich Klaasen followed the captain into the middle and transformed the tone of the innings with his bold strokes all over the ground. De Kock joined him in raising the stakes as South Africa cruised through the final stages of the innings. De Kock scored 174 (140) before falling in the 46th over.
South Africa’s fireworks were then delivered by David Miller (34* in 15 balls) and Klaasen. Heinrich Klaasen hammered eight sixes and two fours in his 49-ball stint at the bat, just missing out on a century.
He was out on the second ball of the final over while attempting a powerful shot against a slower ball. The sweeper cover fielder securely pouched it just inside the boundary ropes. South Africa finished with a magnificent score of 382/5.
Heinrich Klaasen’s amazing knock against Bangladesh drew attention from fans, who poured praise on him via X. Here are some of the most common responses:
David Miller Lauds Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen for SA’s Wins
During the mid-innings break, South Africa hitter David Miller remarked on the first innings play and said:
“It was a really good wicket. Coming in there with only four overs to go, I had no option but to go for it for the team. The slower ball just seemed to stick a little bit but it’s a typical Mumbai wicket. It’s been a period of time we’ve done really well. The top six or seven have been batting for a really long time together.”
“It’s just about understanding the self-belief in each other and trusting the process. If it’s a tricky situation just get through it. It’s great to see the performances the guys are putting up. (What has worked for him in recent times) You sort of mature with age. Just understanding my role, self-belief in a lot of ways and just going with the flow as well.”
David Miller