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Klaasen: My dream is fulfilled

Cape Town - South African cricket's latest hero, Heinrich Klaasen, says that his dream is fulfilled, even if he hasn't done enough to command a regular place in the Proteas limited overs set-up.

Klaasen played one of the most explosive T20 knocks the Proteas have ever seen on Wednesday night as he crushed 69 off just 30 balls to give South Africa a six-wicket victory in the second T20I at Centurion.

The series, thanks largely to Klaasen's epic innings, is now squared at 1-1.

Klaasen smacked seven 6s and three 4s in his blistering knock, and at this stage it is hard to see how he can be ignored even when Quinton de Kock returns to the fray.

Klaasen has been keeping wicket with De Kock out injured, but it is with the bat where he has really shone.

The 26-year-old knows, though, that there are a number of Proteas returning from injury who will make the competition for places even stronger.

"If you look at Quinny, AB (De Villiers), Faf (Du Plessis) and with Temba (Bavuma) coming back ... they're world class players," Klaasen said at his man-of-the-match press conference on Wednesday.

"It's just to put my name in the hat as well and to put myself on the map or in the set-up.

"If this may be my last game I play this weekend, then so be it. My dream is fulfilled ... now it becomes a job."

Klaasen also credited the role stand-in captain JP Duminy (64* off 40) played in the victory.

"JP took all the fear out of my game and it was very important to stay calm," Klaasen explained.

"There were stages where I was swinging quite hard and I had to tell myself to relax a bit and take the one."

The third and final T20I takes place in Cape Town on Saturday.

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