Photo Credit: SA20 League
Heinrich Klaasen‘s last 12 months have been out of this world.
The Durban’s Super Giants super star was named Betway SA20 Player of the Season and Batter of the Season for 2024 on Saturday evening at Newlands.
It bookmarked an extraordinary period for Klaasen that began right here in the inaugural Betway SA20 Season 1.
Klaasen lit up Centurion with a sparkling ton in Season 1, before heading off to the Indian Premier League where he repeated the act for Sunrisers Hyderabad. There was three-peat when Klaasen struck another century in The Hundred for Oval Invincibles to showcase his ability across all conditions.
But he was not done yet. Klaasen built up to the ICC 50-over World Cup in India last year with an astonishing 174 off 83 balls against Australia in India before exploding in Mumbai with another rollicking 67-ball 109 against England.
Klaasen’s purple patch continued in Betway SA20 Season 2 where he bludgeoned the opposition’s bowlers to all parts of the six venues around the country, as he finished with 447 runs at a strike rate of 207.90.
The consistency of Klaasen’s striking, which yielded a record-breaking 37 sixes, has been incredible and he attributes his success to the hard work behind the scenes.
“The swing has been good the last couple of years. I think better decision-making and execution has helped me. It helps when you execute the right plan you have in mind. It took a lot of hard work to get to where I am at this moment but I am also in a good space mentally,” Klaasen said.
Although Klaasen was unable to power DSG to their maiden SA20 title, the 32-year-old was pleased with the team’s overall performance.
“It’s nice to perform, but it’s only worth it when your team gets over the line, otherwise the performance means nothing to me. It is a little bit disappointing, but there’s more important things in life than winning trophies. It has been a good tournament, our guys played fantastically, but the better team won on the day,” he said.
“The boys have been fantastic, together with the coaches, and supporting staff, it’s a thankless job. We can’t ask for a better tournament in South Africa. The SA20 is up there with the world’s best.”
Name of Author: SA20 League
SA20, officially known as the Betway SA20 for sponsorship reasons, is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in South Africa organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA). First held in the 2023 season, the league features six city-based teams. Sunrisers Eastern Cape won the first two editions of the tournament.
