Heinrich Klaasen slams his sixth ODI fifty, hammers eight sixes
Heinrich Klaasen starred with a 90-run knock as South Africa compiled 382/5 against Bangladesh in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup encounter at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Quinton de Kock (174) and Aiden Markram (60) bolstered SA's innings before Klaasen and David Miller wreaked havoc at the death. Klaasen went on to smash his sixth half-century in ODIs. Here are the key stats.
Wankhede witnessed the Klaasen show
The departure of skipper Markram at 167/3 exposed Klaasen in the middle. The latter was patient in his first few deliveries before showcasing his onslaught. Klaasen smashed as many as 8 sixes and just 2 fours in his electrifying knock. He smashed 90 off 49 balls, recording his sixth half-century in ODI cricket. It was his second 50+ score of the ongoing tournament.
Joint second-most sixes in WC innings for SA
As mentioned, Klaasen smashed 8 sixes, now the joint second-most in a World Cup innings for South Africa. He shares the second spot with AB de Villiers, who hammered eight maximums against West Indies in 2015 in Sydney. Miller tops this list, having smashed nine maximums against Zimbabwe in 2015 in Hamilton. Notably, de Kock slammed 7 sixes in his 140-ball 174 against Bangladesh.
Klaasen completes 800 ODI runs in 2023
Klaasen is SA's second-highest run-scorer this year in 2023, with 815 runs in 16 games at 58.21. He is only behind Markram, who has compiled 842 runs this year. Klaasen has become only the second SA batter to touch the 800-run mark in 2023. Notably, he has hammered three centuries this year, matching Markram's tally. The former owns a stunning strike rate of 151.20.
