Everyone’s been marvelling at Heinrich Klaasen’s six-hitting ability, especially against spin, in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen on commentary referred to Klaasen’s full swing of the bat - beginning from his high backlift and ending over his shoulder - and wondered if the South African plays golf. “Someone should ask him,” he said.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bowling coach James Franklin on Monday confirmed that Klaasen does indulge himself with golf.
“Yes, he does play golf. But he hasn’t been playing a lot lately. He’s got his family here. So, in his spare time, he’s been putting his time into his family, which is great to see,” he said on the eve of his team’s match versus Punjab Kings (PBKS) here on Monday.
He picked Klaasen’s “swing play” particularly against spin as his striking attribute. “He’s got an unbelievable ability to pick up length very early. Certainly, balls that are just short of a length and back of a length. I think we’ve all seen how quick he is in pulling those just short of a length balls from spinners over the mid wicket boundary for six.
“I think any bowling lineup, particularly any spinning group, coming up against him, will be slightly nervous that if they do get it slightly wrong, they’re going to be fetching the ball out of the stands.
The SRH bowling coach said that while Klaasen is known to attack spinners, he is just as effective against the pacers, making him one of the most potent operators in the middle overs. “At times, with Klaasen, you get a little bit caught up with what he does against spin. I think we’ve also seen in this IPL how good he’s been against pace. So, he is, if not the best, probably one of the best in terms of that middle-order role in World cricket for T20s.”
Asked if Klaasen does anything specific during training for his six-hitting, the coach said: “From what I’ve seen, he very much trains the way that he plays. He obviously possesses a lot of power. So, when you watch what he does in games, it’s no real surprise; because, you come back to preparation and the way that he trains, it’s inclined that way as well. He’s trying to get in good positions. He’s trying to work out exactly where and how he hits certain types of bowlers.”
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