Pretoria (South Africa): South Africa batter Heinrich Klaasen announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect but confirmed that he will be available for the Proteas in the white-ball formats.
Klaasen, a prolific performer for South Africa in the limited-overs format, played four Tests over his career. He debuted against India in Ranchi in 2019, and last featured against West Indies in 2023. The ‘keeper-batter scored 104 runs at an average of 13 from his four games. His highest score was 35 against Australia in Sydney.
The batter gave the reasons for his retirement in a statement, calling it a tough decision and adding that he was retiring from his favourite format.
“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 statement read. “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.”
