Nicholas Pooran vs Heinrich Klaasen - comparing their stats after 58 T20Is

West Indies star Nicholas Pooran and South African big hitter Heinrich Klaasen recently announced their retirements from international cricket. Both retirements came as a surprise, particularly with two ICC white-ball events (2026 T20 World Cup and 2027 ODI World Cup) lined up in the next two years.

Nicholas Pooran made his international debut in 2016 for the West Indies. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter went on to play 61 ODIs and 106 T20Is for his country. Heinrich Klaasen made his international debut in 2018. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batter played 60 ODIs, 58 T20Is, and four Tests for South Africa.

Both the wicketkeeper-batters are known for their explosive hitting and ability to play big shots, particularly in T20 cricket. They have also featured in various T20 leagues across the globe such as the IPL. Pooran has a top score of 98 in T20Is while Klaasen's best score in T20Is is 81. Both batters do not have a T20I hundred.

With the two having pulled the curtains on their international careers, let us compare their stats after 58 T20I matches.

---

Nicholas Pooran vs Heinrich Klaasen comparison after 58 T20I matches

#1 Most runs

Nicholas Pooran played his first T20I for West Indies in 2016 against Pakistan. The left-hander has played 106 T20Is and has scored 2275 runs. However, from his first 58 T20Is, he had made 1193 runs from 50 innings.

On the other hand, Heinrich Klaasen played only 58 T20Is for South Africa. His first T20I came against India in 2018. The right-hander made 1000 runs from 53 innings.

While the difference is not a lot and both batters are close, Pooran has a slight edge in terms of runs scored after 58 T20Is.

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs
Nicholas Pooran	58	50	1193
Heinrich Klaasen	58	53	1000

---

#2 Average & Strike rate

Nicholas Pooran ended with an overall average of 26.14 and a strike-rate of 136.39 from 106 T20Is in his international career. However, from his first 58 matches, Pooran had an average of 27.74 and a strike-rate of 128.97. He batted at various positions from number three to number eight during this period.

As for Heinrich Klaasen, he ended with an average of 23.25 and a strike-rate of 141.84 from his 58 T20Is. Klaasen also batted in different positions from number four to number seven.

While Pooran had a better average, Klaasen had a way better strike-rate.

Player	Matches	Average	Strike rate
Nicholas Pooran	58	27.74	128.97
Heinrich Klaasen	58	23.25	141.84

---

#3 Most 50+ scores in a winning cause

Nicholas Pooran has scored 1062 runs in a winning cause in his 106 T20Is with five half-centuries, with the West Indies winning 40 matches. From his first 58 T20Is, the left-hander scored 398 runs in a winning cause with just one half-century and no centuries.

On the other hand, Heinrich Klaasen scored 513 runs in a winning cause from his 58 T20Is, with South Africa winning 30 of these matches. He scored a total of five half-centuries with two of them coming in a winning cause.

The difference is not a lot in this comparison as well. Klaasen has scored 115 more runs in a winning cause after 58 T20Is than Pooran. The South African also has just one more half-century than the West Indian in this case.

Player	Matches	Total runs	Runs in a winning cause	50/100	Total 50+ scores in a winning cause
Nicholas Pooran	58	1193	398	1/0	1
Heinrich Klaasen	58	1000	513	2/0	2