Explosive middle-order batter Heinrich Klaasen left Indian fans scared and fearing another defeat in the final when he smashed Axar Patel for fours and sixes in the 15th over of T20 World Cup 2024 final. After the expensive over, South Africa needed to score at a run-a-ball pace to chase down 177 and lift their maiden World Cup trophy. But, Klaasen lost his wicket to Hardik Pandya in the 17th over and it turned out to be a turning point in the game as South Africa ended up losing the final by seven runs. Months after the gut-wrenching defeat, Klaasen recalled feeling ‘burnt out’ and ‘mentally tired’.
A few days after his 27-ball 52 featuring five sixes went in vain, Klaasen did not have much time to recover from the metal trauma as he was the captain of Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise Seattle Orcas. The 33-year-old said that 2024 was tough for him as he played and lost three T20 finals.
“I felt a bit burnt out after the T20 World Cup because I played five days after,” he told Rapport newspaper. “I played in three T20 finals this year – for the Durban Super Giants [SA20], for the Sunrisers Hyderabad [IPL] and for South Africa [losing all three]. Mentally I was very tired.”
Klaasen could not continue his form and managed to score 97 runs from six innings at MLC 2024. After Seattle Orcas’ disappointing run, Klaasen decided to skip the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024. He was supposed to join former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis at Saint Lucia Kings.
“I made the commitment early on to play for them, and explained afterwards that I was mentally drained, and they understood,” he said.
Klaasen’s CPL franchise wins maiden title
In Klaasen’s absence, Saint Lucia Kings roped in New Zealand’s wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert. Du Plessis-led them to their maiden CPL title as they got the better of defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors led by Imran Tahir.
Klaasen’s return against India
Klaasen is likely to return to action at the international stage when India tour South Africa for four-T20I series next month.
