KEY PLAYER Heinrich Klaasen will be expected to give the Proteas innings some real impetus in the middle overs in their remaining Champions Trophy matches. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
That Heinrich Klaasen is a vital cog in the Proteas batting order cannot be disputed, but going a step further, could South Africa’s chances of winning the Champions Trophy hinge on his performances?
Coming into their opening match of the tournament, the Proteas were dealt the heavy blow of Klaasen’s absence through an elbow injury.
He remained in doubt for SA’s match against Australia, but that didn’t matter in the end as the match was rained out without any play possible.
Now, Klaasen has been passed fit and should slot right back into the Proteas batting lineup against England on Saturday in Lahore.
The final Group B match will be interesting indeed. South Africa could have already qualified for the semi-finals if Australia beat Afghanistan in their final group match on Friday.
It may mean that the Proteas could want to experiment with their lineup, but probably not. Instead, Klaasen will come in, in the middle order.
With Ryan Rickelton having scored a century against Afghanistan in their first Champions Trophy outing, opening partner Tony de Zorzi will likely miss out. Skipper Temba Bavuma will then move up one spot from his number three position.
It then leaves Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller and Klaasen in the middle order.
While South Africa do possess a strong bowling lineup with Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj at their disposal, there’s no disputing that all the bowlers could continue to struggle on the flat pitches at the tournament.
It means the batsmen will have to fire, and scores of 350 may not even be enough. That’s where Klaasen comes in, he’s excellent in both setting a score and in a chase. And as one of the best players of spin in the world, there will be even greater responsibility on his shoulders.
There’s just one problem though, Klaasen has played just four ODIs since the beginning of 2024. His only match this year, came against Pakistan in the Tri-Nation warm-up series ahead of the Champions Trophy just over two weeks ago. Though he made an impressive 87 from 56, it was in a losing cause.
It did though indicate his form could be good, and if the Proteas have serious title aspirations, his form needs to be better than good.
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