Last Updated on 1 year by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: Heinrich Klaasen’s INSANE numbers against spin in 2023 | A look at Heinrich Klaasen’s magnificent 2023

Another day, another Heinrich Klaasen special. South Africa’s dynamic middle-order batsman smashed a remarkable and memorable 84-ball 173 in the fourth ODI against Australia, sending a reminder of his abundant talent.

The best part of it all? He has it in him to produce similar kinds of performances on a regular basis. He now has two of the six fastest ODI centuries by a South African player, and it’s his proficiency against spin in particular that makes him so impressive.

Heinrich Klaasen vs spin in 2023: Remarkable impact

Klaasen is one of the best spin-hitters in world cricket. He shone brightest in a dismal campaign for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL). He has also brought that form into ODIs for South Africa, which provides Proteas fans with optimism ahead of the World Cup in India.

Including his stunning innings at Centurion, Klaasen has faced 414 balls against spin in white-ball cricket in 2023. He has smashed 780 runs at an average of 70.9 and strike rate of 188.4, putting him in the elite category when it comes to spin-hitting.

Adam Zampa, who entered the centurion match with 39 wickets at an average of 18.1 and economy of 4.95 in ODIs since the start of 2022, equalled Mick Lewis’ infamous record of the most runs conceded in an innings (113).

Highly rated by many, Zampa simply had no answers to the Klaasen onslaught. Out of his 173, 50 came off Zampa in just 17 deliveries, including two fours and an incredible six sixes.

Should Klaasen continue his proficiency against spin in the World Cup, South Africa will enjoy an advantage over other teams who have question marks over the middle orders. One such side is Australia, whose collapse in the third ODI sent a reminder of the improvement required in how they play spin, especially in the early parts of an innings.

An interesting few weeks await us, indeed.