Nasser Hussain: Klaasen's T20 WC Absence a Major Blow for South Africa

A struggling South African side, who has won just 12 out of 32 T20Is and lost 20 leading up to the marquee tournament since the 2024 Barbados heartbreak, does have the experience of a returning Quinton de Kock and David Miller and youthful exuberance of Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton, but somewhere, they will miss Klaasen, who threatened to prolong India's trophy drought with a counter-attacking half-century before he was captured by all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Speaking on JioStar's 'The Expert View', the ex-England captain said, "Heinrich Klaasen's absence is odd. Just look at the year South African cricket has had, both men and women; it's been incredible. Despite all the challenges South African cricket has faced and the way they have managed them, this is one situation I would have liked them to handle differently."

"I do not know if they could have managed it better, but I would have gone to him and said, 'I do not care what you do, you are such a key player for us. When we get to India and Sri Lanka for a T20 World Cup, you are my number one pick, and I want you there.' It may have happened, or it may not have, I don't know. He may have said, 'No, that's not for me, I'm moving on,' and that's fine because everyone is replaceable. Every single cricketer is replaceable. But he is such a good player, especially against spin, which is going to be crucial in this tournament. So that is a blow for South Africa," he added.

Klaasen retired from international cricket with a fine resume. In 58 T20Is, he made 1,000 runs at an average of 23.25 and at a strike rate of 141.84, with five fifties in 53 innings and a best score of 81. In 60 ODIs, he made highly impactful 2,141 runs in 60 matches at an average of 43.69, with a strike rate of over 117, including four centuries, 11 fifties and a best score of 174. He also scored 104 runs in four Test matches.

Klaasen is still active in T20 leagues, with 6,186 runs in 276 matches at an average of 31.24, with a strike rate of almost 150, including three centuries and 37 fifties in 253 innings.

South Africa is a part of Group D, with Afghanistan, UAE, Canada and New Zealand.

ICC T20 World Cup squad: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs.

- ANI