KLAASEN HOPING DSG EXPERIENCE WILL HELP THE PROTEAS' CAUSE IN KINGSMEAD

Durban’s Super Giants’ Heinrich Klaasen is hoping the experience gained over the past two Betway SA20 seasons playing out of Kingsmead will come to fruition when he leads the Proteas in the opening T2OI against Pakistan this evening. 

Klaasen has been appointed the Proteas’ stand-in T20 skipper in the absence of regular short-format captain Aiden Markram. 

Markram, along with fellow Test stars Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs and Keshav Maharaj, has been afforded some time off from their exertions in Gqeberha the past week after they helped the Proteas red-ball team to a 2-0 series victory over Sri Lanka.

Klaasen is though no stranger to captaining the Proteas’ T20I side, having taken on the role on seven previous occasions, including a tour to Pakistan.

He is equally well-versed in the conditions expected at Kingsmead due to the time spent at Durban's Super Giants.

“We have played a lot of cricket here [in Durban], so the boys know what to expect and we are ready to go,” Klaasen said ahead of the first T20I.

“Playing here quite a bit, you get a better understanding of what to expect from the surface and overhead conditions. 

“In prior years, Durban was never a happy hunting ground for me, but in the past two years with Durban’s Super Giants, it has been a fantastic ground for me. 

“It is nice to play at a venue more often because then you can formulate some plans on how to go about [putting in a match-winning performance].”

Klaasen has been phenomenal since joining the Super Giants with the flame-haired batter the leading run-scorer overall in Betway SA20. 

He will hope to put in another performance at his adopted home ground to wet the appetite of the Super Giants’ fans ahead of the Season 3 opener against Pretoria Capitals on Friday, January 10 at Kingsmead. 

Right now, Klaasen is focused on trying to help the Proteas claim their first bilateral T20I series victory under white-ball coach Rob Walter.

And he is certainly grateful to have world-class players such as Pretoria Capitals fast bowler Anrich Nortje and Joburg Super Kings wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi back in the fold. The duo have not played for the Proteas since the fateful ICC T20 World Cup final defeat to India in Barbados back in July.

“It is fantastic that we have those guys back. Shammo is also back. Rassie is back. There are a lot of guys who have played against Pakistan - even in their domestic competition - so there is a lot of information there that the boys can share,” Klaasen said.

“But leaning on the senior players will be massive in this series. I need the players to step up and do the bulk of the work to take off the pressure off the youngsters.”

SQUADS FOR FIRST T20I AT KINGSMEAD

Proteas: Heinrich Klaasen (captain) (Durban’s Super Giants), Ottneil Baartman (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Matthew Breetzke (Durban’s Super Giants), Donovan Ferreira (Joburg Super Kings), Reeza Hendricks (MI Cape Town), Patrick Kruger (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), George Linde (MI Cape Town), Kwena Maphaka (Paarl Royals), David Miller (Paarl Royals), Anrich Nortje (Pretoria Capitals), Nqaba Peter (Paarl Royals), Ryan Rickelton (MI Cape Town), Tabraiz Shamsi (Joburg Super Kings), Andile Simelane (Sunrisers Eastern Cape), Rassie van der Dussen (MI Cape Town).

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan.

Start: 6pm