A clean-hitting, wicketkeeper batsman, Heinrich Klaasen emerged on the scene at the same time that Quinton de Kock nailed down a place in the South African team, across all formats. As someone who had always combined the disciplines of batting and glovework, Klaasen hoped to make it in either skill and establish himself as all-round option, if required.

Schooled at Menlopark HighSchool and the University of Pretoria, Klaasen made his first-class debut for Northerns in the 2012-13 season and averaged 42.58 in the provincial three-day cup. The following summer, he averaged 52.10 and in the one after that 65.25, before he finally broke through to franchise cricket in the 2016-17 season.  

Klaasen scored his first franchise hundred in February 2017, and almost made it a double: 195 to help Titans beat Dolphins in the penultimate round of the first-class competition. He finished the season as the seventh highest run-scorer and received a maiden call-up to the South African Test squad for their series in New Zealand in March 2017 as the reserve wicketkeeper.
Firdose Moonda