Klaasen becomes first South African to achieve rare six-hitting feat

Heinrich Klaasen entered the record books when he smashed his 100th six in the calendar year, becoming the first South African to achieve the rare feat. The right-hander achieved that feat during the first T20I against India, when he smashed a six against the mystery spin of Varun Chakravarthy. 

In the process, the hard-hitting South African joined an elite group, joining the likes of Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran and Chris Gayle (6 times). Pooran achieved that feat earlier in the year when he went past the 100 sixes mark, and now Klaasen has followed him into the club. Interestingly, Pooran has scored 165 sixes this year. Gayle has done it on six occasions, in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017. Russell did it in 2019, making Klaasen the only non West Indian to feature on the list. 

Klaasen has smashed 38 sixes in 2024 for Sunrisers Hyderabad closely followed by his 37-six stint for Durban Super Giants. However, for the national team, the right-handed batter has only hit 14 sixes, one of which helped him break the record. 

While Klaasen certainly entered a rare club, the clash against India was one of the most forgettable knocks of his in the year, with the right-hander only scoring 25 off 22, a knock where he hit two fours and one six. 

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