Klaasen deadpans spectacular, record-breaking SA20 fifty: 'Just tyring to keep up'

Heinrich Klaasen was simply "trying to keep up" with Quinton de Kock in the Durban Super Giants' victory over Paarl Royals at Kingsmead on Sunday, a strategy that not only saw him score his run quicker than his Proteas teammate but claim the fastest fifty in the SA20 to date.

Being understated has become a hallmark of the 31-year-old's performances over the past few years - he continually produces eye-catching knocks and downplays them afterwards.

It was on show again in Durban, where he walked to the crease in the 14th over - the platform was admittedly a great one at 147/2 - and whacked 6 maximums in a 19-ball half-century.

So much for De Kock's 31-ball 57 then...

"The chat [when I came in] was really more about just keeping up the tempo," said Klaasen.

"The openers set up an amazing platform for us and the way Quinny kept on going, it's always difficult to keep up with that. It's not easy to just come in and play, especially here. So I knew I had to take a risk or two and it came off.

"Then you just had to go with the flow and see how much damage you can inflict."

The sun may be out at Kingsmead but it was raining 6's off the @DurbansSG bats. #SA20 #Betway | @betway_india pic.twitter.com/WLRKBObZdX

As it turned out, it was the difference between the two sides as veterans Eoin Morgan and Dane Vilas did their utmost to keep the Royals in the picture.

On Friday night, Klaasen was instrumental in getting the Super Giants' campaign off the launchpad with a muscular 36 off 22 that, taking his latest knock into account, suggests that Klaasen is more than comfortable becoming an adopted hometown hero in Durban.

In fact, he quipped that KwaZulu-Natal is becoming his second home after he was bought by Durban Heat back in 2018 in the