JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Kashmir English): South Africa (SA) wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen on Monday announced his retirement from international cricket in what he called deeply emotional yet peaceful decision.
The 33-year-old cricketer had a brief career of seven years in which he played 122 internationals for his country. He made his debut in 2018.
Klaasen took to social media to share the news, calling it a deeply emotional yet peaceful decision.
“It is a sad day for me as I announce that I have decided to step away from international cricket,” Klaasen wrote.
“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.”
Klaasen described his international journey as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. “From day one, it was the biggest privilege representing my country. It was everything I had worked for and dreamed about as a young boy,” he added.
The wicketkeeper-batter felt gratitude towards his coaches during his cricketing journey.
“I have made great friendships and relationships that I will treasure for life. Playing for the Proteas gave me the opportunity to meet incredible people who changed my life. I can’t thank them enough. My road to wearing the Proteas shirt was different from most, and there were certain coaches who continued to believe in me — to them, I’ll always be grateful.”
Klaasen stated his desire to spend more time with his family as the main reason for his retirement.
“I look forward to spending more time with my family, and this decision will allow me to do so. I will always be a big Proteas supporter and would like to thank everyone who supported me and my teammates throughout my career.”
Klaasen represented SA across all three formats
Klaasen made his international debut in 2018 during an ODI series against India and represented South Africa across all three formats.
ODIs proved to be Klaasen’s most successful format. He played 60 games and scored 2,141 runs at an average of 43.69 and an impressive strike rate of 117.05. He hit four centuries and 11 half-centuries.
Among his top performances was a blistering 174 off just 83 balls against Australia at Centurion in 2023 — the highest individual score by any batter at No 5 in ODI history.
In T20Is, Klaasen played 58 matches, scoring 1,000 runs with five half-centuries to his name.
The South African star last played for his country during the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal against New Zealand in Lahore in March this year. He will thus miss the 2027 ODI World Cup at home as the tournament will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
