Heinrich Klaasen Announces Retirement From International Cricket; Check His Full Statement

Heinrich Klaasen, who made his debut in 2018, took to social media to announce his retirement from international cricket.

Heinrich Klaasen, the South Africa wicketkeeper-batter, on Monday, June 2 announced his international retirement from the international game. The 33-year-old Klaasen, who made his debut in 2018, took to social media to announce his retirement.

In his statement, swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter mentioned how difficult it was for him to arrive at this decision.

"It is a sad day for me as I announce that I have decided to step away from international cricket. It took me a long time to decide what's best for me and my family for the future. It was truly a very difficult decision but also one that I have absolute peace with," wrote Klaasen.

"From the first day, it was the biggest privilege representing my country and it was everything that I have worked for and dreamed about as a young boy," he added.

Klaasen, who featured in 122 internationals for the Proteas, felt gratitude towards his coaches during his cricketing journey.

"I have made great friendships and relationships that I will treasure for life. Playing for the Proteas gave me the opportunity to meet great people that changed my life, and to those people I can't say thank you enough," he said.

"My road to wearing the Proteas shirt was different than most and there were certain coaches in my career that kept believing in me - to them I will always be grateful. To have played with the Proteas badge on my chest was and will always be the biggest honour in my career. I look forward to spending more time with my family as this decision will allow me to do so. I will always be a big Proteas supporter and would like to thank everyone that supported me and my teammates during my career," he added.

Klaasen was a member of the South Africa side that featured in the recent ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, and the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025. He scored 2141 runs with a highest score of 174 in his 60 ODIs at an average of 43.69. In the T20Is, he scored 1000 runs with a highest score of 81 and a strike rate of 141.84.

His last ODI appearance came in South Africa's loss to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy semifinal in March 2025. His final T20I was against Pakistan in December 2024.

Enoch Nkwe, the director of the national teams and high performance, said that Heinrich has been a true match- winner for South Africa.

"Heinrich has been a true match- winner for South Africa. He was a player capable of changing the course of a game in a matter of overs. His commitment and impact in the white-ball formats have been immense, and we thank him for his outstanding service to South African cricket," said Nkwe.

"He has been transparent with Cricket South Africa throughout the past few months, and we fully respect his decision to retire from international cricket. We wish him continued success in the next chapter of his journey," he added.