The star wicket-keeper batter Heinrich Klaasen has announced his retirement from Test cricket. Head coach Shukri Conrad had indicated that the cricketer might make a Test appearance later this year. However, Kyle Verreynne was chosen over Klaasen for the recently concluded two-match Test series against India.
Klaasen has played four Test matches for South Africa between 2019 and 2023, where he scored 104 runs in eight innings with an average of 13, without registering a fifty or hundred.
Despite his Test retirement, Heinrich Klaasen will continue to be accessible for the Proteas in white-ball cricket. His notable performance includes scoring 373 runs at the ODI World Cup in India last year, boasting a strike rate of 133.21. With a total of 54 ODIs and 43 T20Is in his career, Klaasen is the preferred wicketkeeper for South Africa in the shorter formats.
Heinrich Klaasen has not revealed a specific reason for his red-ball cricket retirement but acknowledged experiencing ‘a few sleepless nights’ leading up to the decision. Given his commitments in the Indian Premier League, MLC, and the Hundred, it appears he will be more focused on participating in T20 leagues in future.
“After a few sleepless nights wondering if I am making the right decision, I have decided to retire from red-ball cricket. It’s a difficult decision that I have made because it is by far my favourite format of the game. The battles that I faced on and off the field have made me the cricketer I am today. It has been a great journey and I am glad I could have represented my country. My baggy Test cap is the most precious cap I have ever been handed,” Klaasen said in a statement.
Few days back, the former captain of South Africa Dean Elgar also said goodbye to cricket.
