By Sahil Kohli

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 30 (ANI): Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes said that time spent with family, away from the high-intensity, hectic international cricket schedule, is driving former Proteas batter Heinrich Klaasen's recent success in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Jonty, one of the finest cricketers of his era, best known for his exceptional fielding, is on board with the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) as the co-owner of its Rotterdam franchise alongside fellow South African cricket stars Heinrich Klaasen and Faf du Plessis, with Madhukhar Shree as a managing partner.

Speaking to ANI after Klaasen's sensational 65* against five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) yesterday, Jonty said about former Proteas keeper-batter, 'If you look at his form in T20 cricket, maybe he has got that sort of form because he is enjoying, you know, the less pressure. You play international cricket, there is no downtime,' he said.

Klaasen is currently among IPL 2026's top performers with 414 runs in nine innings, at an average of 59.14 and a strike rate of 157.14, including four fifties. Having retired from international cricket last year, Klaasen continues to enjoy popularity and success in T20 circuit.

This is his fourth successive 400-run season with SRH and his ability to play both the attacker and stabiliser in the middle-order has contributed to SRH's success this season.

He retired from international cricket last year in June, but still continues to maintain a great track record success and demand-wise in the T20 league circuit. His last international appearance came during the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal against New Zealand in Pakistan.

Jonty spoke about conversations he had with Faf earlier, leading upto acquisition of the Rotterdam franchise, which were about players needing some time away from international cricket. In the past few years, international cricket, combined with high-paying T20 leagues have led to a congested cricketing calendar, where players navigate their passion to wear the national colours and earn hefty franchise cricket money since their shelf life as players is short.

'So I think from that perspective, yes, maybe he is playing with such incredible freedom because he does not have to play international cricket. We saw Quinton de Kock come and retire, then come back into the international game and still perform well. But giving players a gap and a breather is what they need emotionally and mentally more than the physical side,' he said.

'Klaasen is getting that downtime, he has time with his family, which is important,' he added.

Since his international cricket retirement, Klaasen has played 38 T20s, scoring 966 runs in 36 innings at an average of 32.2 and a strike rate of over 145, with seven half-centuries.

Klaasen is one of T20s most prolific run-getters this decade, with 5,206 runs in 207 matches at an average of 33.8, with a strike rate of over 154, including three centuries and 35 fifties in 190 innings.

Since making his debut for the Proteas in 2018, Klaasen was an extremely crucial part of Proteas limited-overs set-up till his retirement last year. He made 3,245 runs in 122 matches at an average of 32.45 and a strike rate of 117.40, including four centuries and 16 fifties and a best score of 174.

The hard-hitting right-hander underwhelmed in Tests, with just 104 runs in four matches without a fifty, but his brutal hitting and clutch knocks became a crucial feature of South Africa's limited-overs game.

In 60 ODIs, he collected 2,141 runs at an average of 43.69 and a strike rate of over 117, with four centuries and 11 fifties and a best score of 174 in 56 innings. In T20Is, he made 1,000 runs in 58 matches and 53 innings at an average of 23.25 and a strike rate of over 141, with five fifties and a best score of 81.

His only 50-over World Cup appearance came in 2023 edition in India, scoring 373 runs in 10 innings at an average of 41.44 and a strike rate of 133.21, including a century and a fifty.

While he failed to leave a mark in the 2022 T20 World Cup, he was SA's second-highest run-getter and overall 10th-highest in the 2024 edition, scoring 190 runs in eight innings at an average of 31.66 and a strike rate of 126.66, with a knock of 52 against champions India during a chase of 177 runs in the final as his best effort.

With a World Cup century against the then-defending champions England in 2023 edition, a fighting 47 while battling a top-order collapse in the semifinal against Australia to complement centurion David Miller, a T20 WC final fifty against India, Klaasen slowly developed a reputation as a player who would thrive against big opponents in pressure situations for Proteas.

With South Africa set to co-host the home 50-over World Cup with Zimbabwe and Namibia, the Proteas aim to break their trophyless streak in limited-overs cricket after years of making it to the finals/semifinals of ICC T20 and 50-over World Cups. The ICC World Test Championship win last year has lifted a lot of generational burden as far as winning a world title is concerned, all eyes are on the most prestigious and oldest prize in men's international cricket.

Most recently, they made it to the T20 World Cup semifinals this year, losing to New Zealand.

On what boxes Proteas needed to tick, Jonty had a simple answer, 'Get to the final and win it. That is it. As simple as that.' (ANI)