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Veteran Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara heaped praise on Heinrich Klaasen following his 109-run knock from 67 balls in the 20th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 between South Africa and England at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Pujara said that Klaasen took the game away from England. The veteran batsman said that at first, it was looking like the Proteas might end up getting 330-350 but Klaasen turned it around. Pujara hailed Klaasen for his extraordinary shots in the game especially the pull shot against Adil Rashid. "Probably one of the best ODI innings one would ever see. You know Heinrich Klaasen took the game away from England because it looked like South Africa might end up getting 330-350 but he turned it around along with Marco Jansen. If you look at the way he batted, some shots were extraordinary especially the pull shot against Adil Rashid. If you look at any other batter, someone else would just punch him down for a single but someone like Klaasen, he hit that for a six which I thought wasn't a bad ball," Pujara told ESPNcricinfo. Coming to the match, England elected to field first. Half-centuries from Reeza Hendricks (85 in 75 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) and Rassie van der Dussen (60 in 61 balls, with eight fours) set a foundation for something big. But it was the partnership between Heinrich Klaasen (109 in 67 balls, with 12 fours and four sixes) and Marco Jansen (75 in 42 balls, with three fours and six sixes) that really upped the run-rate, taking Proteas to 399/7 in their 50 overs. Reece Topley (3/88) was the pick of the bowlers for England while Gus Atkinson and Adil Rashid took two wickets. In the run chase of 400 runs, England was never a threat and was reduced to 100/8. But a partnership between Mark Wood (43 in 17 balls, with two fours and five sixes) and Gus Atkinson (35 in 21 balls, seven fours) offered some entertainment to fans, but England was bundled for 170 in 35 overs. Gerald Coetzee (3/35) was the top bowler for SA. Lungi Ngidi (2/26) and Marco Jansen (2/35) took two wickets while Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada took one. Klaasen was the 'Player of the Match' for his match-winning knock. (ANI)
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