Heinrich quickly sets himself a Klaas apart

Heinrich Klaasen’s desire to remain apathetic to the opinions others have of him faded briefly last week. 

Klaasen has worked almost as hard at ignoring critics — and those offering compliments — as he has worked on the technical aspects of his game.

“I’m done trying to impress people,” he said. 

“I know what I can do and if the person on the couch wants to say something about my game, they are allowed, it’s their opinion, but I’m not there to impress anyone any more, I’m there to enjoy the game, to do what I like and bat the way I want to bat.”

However, when it’s Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara complimenting your batting, that is different. 

Tendulkar described Klaasen’s 104 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad against Bangalore Royal Challengers in the IPL as a “treat to watch”, while Lara, Hyderabad’s coach, remarked that “he plays his heart out for the team”. A “goosebump moment”, said Klaasen, “I was smiling in bed after reading those comments.”

It’s fair to say that among South African fans, the 31-year-old has not attained the status of “favourite”.  

Yet in his last nine ODIs dating back to the Proteas tour to India in October, Klaasen averages 70.33, at a strike rate of 128.69; he’s always been a fine T20 batter — his strike rate in the shortest format is a formidable 148.22 — but the inconsistent nature of that format, particularly given where he bats, means he is always treading the fine line between being a hero or a villain. 

But he doesn’t give a damn. Klaasen described his early years as a professional when he tried to impress people as “probably the biggest mistake” in his career. “Once I got over that, I know for a fact that my game changed and the consistency in my game changed. That has played a big part in my approach in the last two years.” 

Given his output for the Proteas in the last 18 months, it’s inevitable that he will be part of the squad that will head to India for the World Cup later this year. Not so long ago the Proteas might have worried about the middle order and potential finishers, now however, head coach Rob Walter has Klaasen and David Miller at his disposal 

“It’s a fantastic batting unit, you can start with the openers, because Temba (Bavuma) is a quality player of spin, which I reckon will play a big part in the World Cup.” 

Klaasen has toured India with the Proteas and played a couple of seasons of the IPL so the conditions have become familiar. He is among the leading players of spin bowling in South Africa, another feature of his batting which grabbed attention in this year’s IPL. “I’ve not changed my approach against spin in the last five years, but the bigger numbers and the better consistency is putting my play against spin more into the spotlight.” 

Klaasen wasn’t short of form in the IPL, carrying a heavy burden for the Sunrisers, who finished bottom of the competition’s log. He was their top scorer with 448 runs, at a strike rate of 177.07, making a century and two fifties in 11 innings.

“I don’t think I can complain about my personal success. It was a good tournament for me. I hit the ball quite well, and I thought I had some good gameplans,” said Klaasen, who also admitted disappointment in not taking the side across the line in a couple of matches. 

That is an aspect from a Proteas perspective, of which he is keenly aware. “We are maturing as a (batting) unit together. We understand each other’s games and I’m quite excited to see what we bring to the table.”

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