Former South African cricketer Heinrich Klaasen recently blind-ranked five iconic wicketkeeper-batters from T20 cricket history. Klaasen had to assign each player a position from one to five without knowing which name would appear next, making each choice more difficult as the list progressed.
Klaasen is preparing to represent Rotterdam Dockers in the inaugural European T20 Premier League, which begins on August 26. The right-handed batter last played competitive cricket for Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred 2026 final at Lord’s on August 16, where he scored 11 runs off 9 deliveries.
Heinrich Klaasen Ranks MS Dhoni and Jos Buttler Among T20 Greats
During an interview for the ETPL’s social media channels, the host asked Heinrich Klaasen to blind-rank five legendary T20 wicketkeeper-batters. Klaasen initially placed himself at No. 5, before putting MS Dhoni at No. 2 and Adam Gilchrist at No. 3. He then placed Jos Buttler at No. 1.
“Nah, I'll put myself at five for this moment. Very humble. I think there's, I'm hoping for two names that will pop up that will fit in my slots,” Klaasen said.
Buttler has established himself as one of T20 cricket’s most destructive batters, scoring more than 12,000 T20 runs and producing match-winning performances. Dhoni, meanwhile, has scored more than 7,000 T20 runs and remains one of the format’s most successful wicketkeeper-captains.
AB de Villiers Forces Heinrich Klaasen to Reshuffle His Ranking
The final name was South African legend AB de Villiers, leaving Heinrich Klaasen with only No. 4 available. He immediately wanted to place de Villiers higher than the remaining slot. De Villiers finished his T20 career with more than 9,000 runs and a reputation for extraordinary innovation.
“Yeah you see I might have to reshuffle but he needs to go down to four. I'll go AB, Jos, Dhoni, Gilchrist, myself perfect,” Klaasen said.
Klaasen ultimately revealed his preferred order as AB de Villiers at No. 1, Jos Buttler at No. 2, MS Dhoni at No. 3, Adam Gilchrist at No. 4 and himself at No. 5.
Heinrich Klaasen Builds a Franchise T20 Legacy After International Retirement
Heinrich Klaasen retired from international cricket on June 2, 2025, after playing 122 matches for South Africa across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. He finished with 2,141 ODI runs and 1,000 T20I runs. Klaasen is now focusing on franchise cricket, where his aggressive batting has made him one of the leading T20 players.
Klaasen has continued to play in major franchise leagues. He has scored 2,104 IPL runs at a strike rate of 166.72, including 2 centuries. During IPL 2025, he scored a 37-ball century for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has also played for Durban’s Super Giants in SA20 and Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket.
Klaasen also represented Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred 2026. He scored 177 runs during the tournament before playing in the final at Lord’s. His international retirement has allowed him to focus on franchise cricket, where his power-hitting remains his biggest strength.
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