by Dean Cloete
Proteas batsman Heinrich Klaasen is convinced South Africa can draai dinge in their favour when they face Pakistan at Newlands innie Kaap today at 2pm.
Klaasen and his brasse lost the first of three ODIs against their visitors at Boland Park in Paarl by three wickets, with Man of the Match Salman Agha taking 4/32 to restrict SA to 239/9 in their 50 overs, before also klapping an unbeaten 82 to take his team home.
The spinner embarrassed the SA top order, single-handedly taking them from 70/0 to 88/4 by trapping Tony de Zorzi (33) leg before wicket and then clean bowling Ryan Rickelton (36), Rassie van der Dussen (8) and Tristan Stubbs (1) to break SA’s spine.
Klaasen, though, skopped vas with his knock of 86, but the damage was already done.
And as they look to level the three-match series heading into Sunday’s finale at the Wanderers, Klaasen was asked if they skrik vir spin bowlers.
The 33-year-old, though, says: “Not at all, if you look at our stats against spin over the last three or four years, it’s been incredible.
“I know we had that reputation of playing spin badly, but we rectified that and if you look at all the stats that we had over the last three or four years, somewhere you're going to get a spell like this. We basically missed the one that skidded on, not the one that actually turned.
“It’s something that we will relook, but I’m sure the results will be a little bit different next in the game.”