NEW DELHI: South African batsman Heinrich Klaasen considers his scorching century against the defending champions, England, as one of his finest performances. He played a pivotal role in his team's massive 229-run victory in the World Cup match in Mumbai.
Klaasen displayed his power-hitting prowess by scoring 109 runs off 67 balls. His remarkable partnership of 151 runs for the sixth wicket with Marco Jansen was instrumental in South Africa's imposing total of 399 for seven in their 50 overs. This stunning performance ultimately led to a record-breaking defeat for England in one-day internationals as they were bowled out for just 170 runs in response.
This century marked Klaasen's fourth in one-day internationals, solidifying his reputation as a game-changer in the middle order for South Africa. He has proven to be a versatile batsman capable of scoring at a rapid pace and providing the team with crucial momentum, especially during the closing overs of an innings.
"It is up there with my best ever, I have been hitting the ball nicely, but the conditions were brutal out there," he said. "It is proper heat that saps all the energy out of you.
"Quinny (Quinton de Kock) came upstairs and said, ‘Don’t run your ones too hard, make sure you can walk a quarter of your runs, save energy’.
"The heat was extreme. They (England bowlers) looked like they were physically under the pump."
His stand with Jansen came from only 76 deliveries, the highest run-rate for any partnership of 150 or more in World Cups.
All-rounder Jansen contributed a career-best 75 from 42 balls.
"He was next level, he kept me going and told me I can’t walk off the field unless I get a hundred," Klaasen said. "He has been phenomenal and has worked so hard on his batting, so for him to come off like that under this kind of pressure was so vital for us."
South Africa bounced back from a shock 38-run loss to the Netherlands on Tuesday.
"It was a tough loss, but we know we are playing good cricket and one bad performance doesn’t make us a bad team," Klaasen said. "We had some hard chats to be honest and the boys bounced back (well)."
South Africa are next in action against Bangladesh at the same venue on Tuesday.
(With Reuters inputs)
