South Africa’s middle-order powerhouse, Heinrich Klaasen, is calling for more matches across all formats, urging that extended series could help the team build consistency and momentum. Speaking ahead of the fourth T20I against India on Friday, Klaasen expressed the frustration shared by many South African players over the limited opportunities in bilateral series, which he believes restrict the team’s growth.
Reflecting on the current series against India, where South Africa trails with no chance of winning, Klaasen said,
It’s just how it is for South African cricket right now. We don’t play five-match series anymore. Imagine if we win on Friday, then have another game to make it two-all on Sunday.
While the team faces tight scheduling and fewer games, Heinrich Klaasen and his teammates hope to see a change that gives them more frequent competition, especially against top-tier teams.
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Though Klaasen retired from Test cricket in January, he didn’t hold back on criticizing the sparse Test schedule.
Our Test team is playing two-match series, which is ridiculous in my eyes,
he remarked.
We want to play more games, not just two or three.
Despite his preference for the shorter formats, Klaasen is outspoken about the impact this scarcity has on the team’s development and competitive edge.
South Africa’s five-match T20 series have been rare, with only two series of this length in recent years – against India in 2022 and the West Indies in 2021. In ODIs, aside from a five-game series against Australia leading up to the 2023 World Cup, the team has mainly played three-match series. The lack of three-match Test series also continues, with none scheduled until England and Australia tour South Africa in 2026.
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International Schedules and Split Squads: A Comparative Challenge
Klaasen pointed out how countries like India and England are able to maintain busy schedules and even field split squads. India, for example, will field one squad against Australia while another faces South Africa, a luxury only a few cricketing nations can afford. England has also managed to split squads, recently completing a Test series in Pakistan while their white-ball team played in the West Indies. South Africa, however, struggles to field fully competitive squads simultaneously in different formats, partly due to player availability constraints and domestic league commitments.
Earlier this year, South Africa faced this challenge firsthand, with many of their Test players committed to the SA20 league during a tour of New Zealand, resulting in a historic 2-0 series loss to the Black Caps. Despite such setbacks, South Africa remains in contention for the World Test Championship final if they can sweep their upcoming home Tests.
Klaasen, Markram, and the Pressure to Perform
For Aiden Markram, who has been struggling with a white-ball slump, this scheduling grind has added pressure. Markram, who has failed to score over 30 in his last 12 T20 innings, showed visible frustration during his dismissal for 29 in the recent Centurion match. Klaasen empathized, noting the intense pressure cricketers face: “If any of us made one mistake at our job and that was it, we’d all feel frustrated. That’s what Aiden’s going through.”
Klaasen, too, has had a challenging year balancing both international and domestic leagues, including a brief hiatus in July due to a family emergency. Despite this, his 2024 T20 performance has been impressive, with a strike rate of 164.32 – his highest for any calendar year. He credits his growing understanding of his game and remains hopeful for a strong finish to the year.
As South Africa looks toward the future, Klaasen and his teammates are hopeful that more frequent and extended series will allow the team to reach their full potential and stay competitive on the world stage.
