Klaasen, Breetzke, Bavuma half centuries power Proteas to strong total

Big half centuries from the bats of Heinrich Klaasen, Matthew Breetzke and captain Temba Bavuma powered the Proteas to a strong 352/5 batting first in their Tri Series clash against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.

Klaasen clubbed 11 fours and three sixes on his way to 87 off 56 balls down the back end, after Breetzke, 83 off 84 (10x4; 1x6) and Bavuma, 82 off 96 (13x4) had set the platform with a superb partnership at the top of the order.

Pakistan now have a stiff target to chase and the Proteas will be looking to defend it, with the winner of the match going on to face New Zealand in the Tri Series final on Friday.

At the start of play the Proteas won the toss and chose to bat first, getting off to a solid start as Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi, 22 off 18 (3x4; 1x6) combined for a 51-run opening stand.

De Zorzi looked good in his brief stay, but pushed at a Shaheen Afridi ball in the channel that he probably should have left, getting a thick edge to Salman Aghar diving to his right at first slip.

That brought Breetzke in and along with Bavuma they set about building a good platform with a 119-run second wicket partnership.

Breetzke cut Abrar Ahmed for a boundary at the start of the 16th over to bring up the Proteas hundred, followed by a single from Bavuma off Agha in the next over seeing him bring up his fifty.

A single from Bavuma off Khushdil Shah in the 24th over brought up the Proteas 150, followed by Breetzke driving a single through the covers off Naseem Shah in the next over to bring up his half century.

But just as it was looking like these to would build a huge stand Bavuma ran himself out, knocking the ball to backward point and setting off for a single that wasn’t on, with Breetzke sending him back, but too late as Saud Shakeel nailed the direct hit, leaving them on 170/2.

Breetzke and Klaasen then settled in for a 68-run partnership, and brought the 200 up in true Klaasen style as he hammered Mohammad Hasnain for four boundaries in the 34th over to get over the mark.

It finally took a stunning catch to remove Breetzke at the start of the 39th over, as he tried to powerfully drive Khushdil down the ground, only for Agha to dive to his right at short cover and stick out his right hand to take a superb grab and send him on his way with the score 238/3.

New batter Wiaan Mulder (2) was in and out, cutting Afridi straight to Shakeel at backward point in the next over as they slipped to 241/4.

But Kyle Verreynne, 44no off 32 (3x4; 1x6), came in and helped Klaasen get them over the 300-run mark, as they combined for a 78-run fifth wicket stand.

Klaasen brought up his fifty with a single off Naseem in the 42nd over, and in the 46th took aim at Afridi, smashing him for back to back sixes, a four and a three as 20 came off the over, with the bowler getting a bit of revenge in his next over as he had Klaasen caught at long-on.

That brought Corbin Bosch, 15 off nine (1x4; 1x6) in and he helped add 33 to the score off the final 16 balls with Klaasen as the Proteas finished on top.