Heinrich Klaasen becomes first batter to score 1000 runs in SA20

Durban’s Super Giants’ Heinrich Klaasen scored an unbeaten 76 against Joburg Super Kings in his team’s final match of the season to finish the campaign on a positive note. In the process, he also became the first batter to pass 1000 runs in SA20.

Klassen got to the milestone in his 33rd SA20 game - a tournament in which he averages 42 at an incredibly good strike rate of 172.9. He has nine fifties and one century in the tournament and is closely followed by MI Cape Town’s Ryan Rickelton, whose solid 2023-24 season has propelled him to 935 runs in just 23 games. 

Rickelton will have a chance to break into the 100-run club on Sunday itself when MI Cape Town take on Pretoria Capitals. MICT have also qualified for the playoffs. 

Barring two half-centuries, Klassen struggled with his batting this season, accumulating a total of 198 runs at an average of 28.29 and a strike rate of 134.7. His performance mirrored that of his team as they finished at the bottom place on the points table, winning just two out of 10 matches.