South African middle-order batter Heinrich Klaasen has voiced his frustration with the limited number of matches South Africa plays in bilateral series, particularly the current T20I series against India. The Proteas are trailing 2-1 in the four-match series, with the final game scheduled for Friday, leaving South Africa with only the chance to level the series.

Klaasen, who scored a brilliant 41 off 22 balls in the third T20I at Centurion, couldn't help but express his disappointment after South Africa's 11-run defeat. He lamented the fact that South African cricket no longer plays longer series, particularly compared to other cricketing nations like India.

"That's the nature of where we are as South African cricket. We don't play five-match series anymore,” Klaasen said after their 11-run defeat in Centurion. "How nice would it be if we win on Friday, and then we have another game on Sunday, going into it two-all?

"Our Test team is playing two-Test series, which is ridiculous in my eyes. It's disappointing, and it doesn't sit well with the players, because we want to play more cricket against these guys, and against the other countries as well, but we always find a way to just play two games or three games, and it's annoying."

"You see India are playing this Friday and next Friday, which is incredible, on two different sides of the world," the batter added.

In support of South Africa's T20I captain, Aiden Markram, who has struggled in the recent games, Klaasen acknowledged the pressure on players.

"I'm just saying, people need to understand that that's what we go through. It's in the heat of the moment. There's a billion people that are going to be on your head if you fail. There's a lot of frustration and he was looking fantastically in the way that he struck the ball tonight. It's nice to see that he's finding some rhythm in his game, and hopefully he will kick on."