New Delhi: Dashing wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen, who recently announced his retirement from white-ball cricket for South Africa, broke his silence on suddenly calling it quits from the international circuit. The South African cricket team, after Klaasen’s departure, saw the exit of Rob Walter as their head coach, and as it turns out, it played a crucial role in Klaasen making the hard decision.
Although it is understood that Klaasen’s omission from the Cricket South Africa (CSA) central contracts was a major reason behind his retirement call but he recently revealed that he had intentions of playing for South Africa till the 2027 ODI World Cup. Klaasen, while only at the age of 33, was forced to quit due to these two reasons, but what led to their build-up is a whole different story.
“I felt for a long time that I didn’t really care about any of my performances and whether the team won or not. That’s the wrong place to be,” Klaasen spoke to Rapport. He further revealed his conversation with Walter prior to the retirement.
“I had a long conversation with Rob before the Champions Trophy, and I told him I didn’t feel good in my heart about what was going on. I wasn’t enjoying it that much. We talked nicely, we planned everything nicely up to and including the World Cup in 2027,” Klaasen added.
“So when he finished as coach and the negotiations (with CSA over contracts) didn’t go as planned, it made my decision a lot easier,” said Klaasen, who had retired from Test cricket in January 2024.
Other factors
It has now been a week since Klaasen made the emotional announcement, in which he also stated a lack of family time as another factor. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family – “Now I can spend six or seven months at home. My family needs it. It has been a long four years with a lot of travel. I need a little rest,” he said.
Heinrich Klaasen recently opened up on his sudden retirement from the white-ball format despite having plans of playing on till the ODI World Cup 2027 for South Africa. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
