New Delhi:
Heinrich Klaasen announced his retirement from international cricket at 33 years of age earlier in June. While his decision looked on the cards to many, some were left surprised by his sudden retirement announcement, considering how crucial he is for the Proteas in white-ball cricket.
Klaasen made the retirement announcement on social media, saying, “It took me a long time to decide what’s best for me and my family for the future. It was truly a very difficult decision, but also one that I have absolute peace with.”
He featured for the Proteas in the Champions Trophy 2025 and was also part of the team that went down to New Zealand in the semifinal of the tournament. Klaasen had nearly pulled off South Africa’s first-ever World Cup win in the T20 World Cup final against India, only to be denied by a brilliant comeback from the Men in Blue.
His retirement came after the wicket-keeper batter was overlooked for the Cricket South Africa central contracts in April. He had a white-ball contract until then but lost out on a contract this time around. Moreover, he reportedly desires to play four franchise tournaments – the IPL, Major League Cricket (MLC), SA20, and The Hundred.
The wicket-keeper batter has opened up on his sudden retirement now. “I felt for a long time that I didn’t really care about any of my performances and whether the team won or not. That’s the wrong place to be,” said Klaasen as quoted by Rapport.
Klaasen revealed he had planned to play till the 2027 ODI World Cup during his discussion with former South Africa coach Rob Walter, however, after Walter parted ways with the Proteas, he changed his plans. “I had a long conversation with Rob before the Champions Trophy, and I told him I didn’t feel good in my heart about what was going on. I wasn’t enjoying it that much. We talked nicely, we planned everything nicely up to and including the World Cup in 2027. So when he finished as a coach and the [contract] negotiations [with CSA] didn’t go as planned, it made my decision a lot easier,” Klaasen said further.