Once prone to trying too many things, he has embraced a pared-down method that’s turned him into a force of consistent mayhem
Matt Roller16-Aug-2023As Heinrich Klaasen monstered consecutive balls from Nathan Ellis and Liam Dawson into the sightscreen at the Vauxhall End of The Oval on Tuesday night, one question lingered: is there a better six-hitter in the world right now?He has hit 60 sixes in games with full T20 status this calendar year, the most of any batter in the world – and you can throw in 14 more in Major League Cricket for good measure. He has an even split against spin (31 sixes) and seam (29) and even the vast square boundaries at The Oval have not been big enough to contain him.Related
How Heinrich Klaasen turned on beast mode
Klaasen's belligerent 60 leads Invincibles to record win over Originals
Cox, Curran ensure thrilling Invincibles win over Superchargers
Tom Moody, Invincibles’ head coach, recruited Klaasen in March’s draft because of four attributes: his strength against spin, his experience, his boundary-hitting, and his form. Six games into the season, Klaasen is the leading run-scorer in the men’s tournament; he has faced 95 balls, and has hit 17 of them for six.His innings of 46 off 24 in Oval Invincibles’ two-run win over London Spirit was middle-order batting at its best. He targeted Dawson’s left-arm spin, hitting three of the seven balls he faced from him for six, and he combined power with touch, soaking up only three dots. Having walked in at 79 for 1 after 46 balls, he walked off unbeaten at 189 for 4 after 100.Klaasen is an imposing figure. He is just over six feet tall but has broad shoulders and a firm handshake. And he has been in remarkable form, rivalling Suryakumar Yadav as the leading middle-order batter in T20 cricket worldwide. Since turning 30 two years ago, he has averaged 38.81 while striking at 153.04.The secret, Klaasen explains, is simplicity. “I’ve always felt like I’ve had the destructiveness that I have now. But it was almost like I would always just chuck it away, because I had all these options and I was trying to use everything – like a golf bag with every club in it. Over the last year or so, I’ve almost said, ‘OK, I need to take a lot of the options away’ – just to keep myself calm and watch the ball a bit longer.”I back myself to hit sixes again, which is always a positive for me. Then I know I’m in good form and that normally keeps me calm: I’m always just two hits away from a decent strike rate and getting back to where I should be. If I feel a little bit under pressure, I know I’m only two hits away. I’m almost just maturing into my own cricketer and who I am as a person.”
Absolutely!
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) August 10, 2023