Watch: Heinrich Klaasen’s brutal 174 led South Africa to a 164-run win against Australia in the fourth ODI. Here are the SA vs AUS highlights.
After trailing 0-2 in the five-match ODI series, South Africa leveled the series with two wins. The victory in the fourth ODI came after an impressive batting performance by the hosts at Centurion on 15 September, which earned them a score of 416-5. Heinrich Klaasen scored his 24 points in his first 25 balls, and in his next 58 balls he scored 150 and he reached 174 points.
Klaasen, who came into bat at number five, played a whirlwind knock after South Africa were asked to bat first, hitting 13 fours and as many sixes, scoring a run at a strike rate of 210.
The host team started the innings cautiously, with opener Leesa Hendricks and Quinton de Kock scoring 64 runs. Three quick wickets brought Australia back into the match. Rassie van der Dussen’s 50 for the first time in nine innings brought stability once again. There was no turning back after that, with a double-handed 00 between Claassen and David Miller on 87 pitches, making the score 416:5.
Klaasen also recorded the second-highest ODI score for a male batsman ranked below No. 5 after Kapil Dev’s 175 in the 1983 World Cup, when he did not play.
In response, Australia lost David Warner for 12, followed shortly after by Mitchell Marsh. Travis Head was hit and injured in his left arm and Australia were unable to recover after that.
Alex Carey continued his run with a 77-ball 99, but no other batsman passed 35 in the innings as Australia were bowled out for 252.
The fifth and final ODI between both teams will be held at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday, September 17.
