Heinrich Klaasen says he was mentally drained after the Proteas’ heartbreaking loss to India in the T20 World Cup final in June.
South Africa suffered a seven-run defeat in Barbados having at one stage needed 30 runs from 30 balls with six wickets in hand.
Klaasen, who blasted a superb 52 from 27 balls, was left shattered, but had to go straight into a Major League Cricket campaign with the Seattle Orcas.
“I felt a bit burnt out after the T20 World Cup because I played five days after,” he told Rapport newspaper. “I played in three T20 finals this year – for the Durban Super Giants [SA20], for the Sunrisers Hyderabad [IPL] and for South Africa [losing all three]. Mentally I was very tired.”
Klaasen went on to score just 97 runs in six innings for Seattle at an average of 16.16 and a strike rate of 116.86.
“I made the commitment early on to play for them, and explained afterwards that I was mentally drained, and they understood,” he said.
Klaasen was rested for the Proteas’ recent white-ball ball matches against Afghanistan and Ireland, and marked his return to South African cricket with 71* off 32 balls for the Titans in their T20 Challenge win against Boland on Wednesday.
Photo: Philip Brown/Gallo Images
