Klaasen aims to knock out Pakistan in do-or-die encounter

KARACHI: South Africa’s wicketkeeper batter Heinrich Klaasen on Tuesday, expressed his desire to knock out hosts Pakistan from the tri-nation ODI series final, scheduled to be played at the National Bank Stadium here on Thursday.

“Wednesday(today) is obviously a big day for the series. We played Pakistan not too long ago, but obviously Pakistan in their conditions are a different beast, so I’m looking forward to that,” said Klaasen during the pre-match press conference.

“We just got together today, basically the boys only arrived at 2 o’clock this morning. For the guys that are new to the squad, we’ve got to do a little bit of homework, we’ve got a nice day out to face these conditions and see what it is like. “Obviously there’s a bigger picture in mind as well. The ICC [Champions] trophy is also in play next week, so it’s a good exercise for us. If we can knock them out and play in the final, and the home country is not involved, that will at least put a smile on my face.”

For the unversed, South Africa suffered a 3-0 clean sweep at home against Pakistan in December last year. However, Heinrich Klaasen was exceptional in the series and scored three consecutive half-centuries, including a 97-run knock in the second ODI. Klaasen, one of the five key players who joined South Africa’s inexperienced squad here earlier today, shared his plans for the upcoming virtual semi-final against the home side.