South African wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen bids adieu to red-ball cricket

Heinrich Klaasen has officially announced his retirement from Test cricket, Cricket South Africa confirmed on Monday.

Heinrich Klaasen has officially announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket, as confirmed by Cricket South Africa in a release on Monday (January 8). The 32-year-old, who played four Tests for the Proteas, with his last appearance against West Indies in March last year, has decided to focus exclusively on white-ball cricket going forward.

Despite an impressive first-class record, boasting an average of 46.09 from 85 matches, Klaasen found himself mostly serving as an understudy to Quinton de Kock at the Test level. His Test debut came in Ranchi during the India tour in 2019, but it took almost four years for him to earn subsequent caps in Sydney, Centurion, and Johannesburg in 2023. Accumulating a total of 104 runs with a best of 35, Klaasen was eventually replaced in the XI by Kyle Verreynne.

Expressing the difficulty of his decision, Klaasen mentioned, "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."

Acknowledging the significance of his Test cap, Klaasen extended gratitude to everyone who played a part in his red-ball career. He expressed excitement about the new challenge ahead and is looking forward to focusing on limited-overs cricket after a highly productive 2023, where he boasted strike rates of 172.71 in T20s and 140.66 in ODIs.