South Africa’s aggressive batter, Heinrich Klaasen, has pulled out of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 due to a family emergency, according to ESPNcricinfo. He made the decision three days ahead of the Saint Lucia Kings’opening match against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, to be played at Warner Park on September 1.
The franchise has announced New Zealand batter Tim Seifert as a replacemnt. Klaasen’s absence is a big blow for Saint Lucia owing to his aggressive batting in the T20 format. The right-handed batter has accumulated 4746 runs in 211 matches at a strike rate of 150.18, including two hundreds and 30 half-centuries.
He has been one of the best players in the last two years. The 33-year-old has amassed 2293 runs in 82 matches at a strike rate of 169, laced with two centuries and 16 half-centuries.
In CPL 2022, he played for Guyana Amazon Warriors and scored 118 runs in five contests at a strike rate of 137.
Meanwhile, Sikandar Raza has also pulled out of the tournament due to an injury. The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots haven’t announced any replacement yet for the all-rounder.
Tim David, David Miller and Keshav Maharaj will miss a few games for their respective franchises. David will join for four contests, while Miller and Maharaj will be available after two matches due to the Cricket South Africa awards on September 5.
USA’s Andries Gous and Sri Lanka’s Dunith Wellalage are also part of the CPL 2024.
