South Africa’s explosive wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen has decided to continue playing in T20 franchise leagues—but his days in international cricket are now over.
In a surprising move, Klaasen announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday. The 33-year-old shared the news via a statement on social media, bringing an end to a notable chapter in his career.
He had already stepped away from Test cricket in January 2024. Then, when his name was missing from Cricket South Africa’s central contract list in April, speculation about his international future began to grow.
Klaasen’s final outing for South Africa came in March during the Champions Trophy semifinal in Lahore, where they were beaten by New Zealand.
Just days earlier in that tournament, he had played a standout knock—scoring 64 off 56 balls against England—which marked his fifth consecutive 50-plus score in ODIs. At the time, Klaasen had boldly stated that he wanted to prove himself as “the best cricketer in the world.” But fans will no longer see him in the Proteas jersey.
“It’s a sad day for me, because I’ve decided to retire from international cricket. It took a long time to make this decision, thinking about what’s best for me and my family in the future. It was a really tough call, but I feel completely at peace with it now.”
Klaasen made his debut in both ODIs and T20Is for South Africa in February 2018.
In 60 ODIs, he scored 2,241 runs at an impressive average of 43.69 and a strike rate of 117.05. He notched up four centuries and 11 fifties, with a career-best of 174 against Australia in Centurion in 2023.
Among all batters with at least 2,000 ODI runs, only Glenn Maxwell boasts a higher strike rate than Klaasen. Incidentally, Maxwell also announced his retirement from ODIs on Monday, just hours before Klaasen’s international exit was made public.
In T20Is, Klaasen featured in 58 matches, amassing exactly 1,000 runs at a strike rate of 141.84. He hit five half-centuries, with a top score of 81.
Around the world, Klaasen is one of the most sought-after players in franchise cricket. Last November, ahead of the IPL mega auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad retained him for a whopping ₹23 crore—making him the most expensive retained player in IPL history.
However, despite his record price tag, Klaasen struggled to live up to expectations in IPL 2025. Though he finished the tournament with a stunning century off just 37 balls in the team’s final game, he managed only one fifty in his previous 12 innings. Sunrisers Hyderabad ended the season sixth on the points table among 10 teams.
