The South African Wicketkeeper Batter Heinrich Klaasen has announced his Test retirement but will continue to play in the White-ball formats.
Heinrich Klaasen announced his Test retirement
The 32-year-old WK-Batter Heinrich Klaasen announced his Test retirement with immediate effect but will be available in White-ball formats.
Klaasen has played four Tests in the period between 2019 and 2023 with the most recent appearance in West Indies last summer.
He is the second player to retire from test format after Dean Elgar’s retirement announcement at the end of India’s South Africa tour. Klaasen was not part of the test squad. After being dropped for Kyle Verreynne, but test coach Shukri Conrad said Klaasen was still part of his plans.
Conrad indicated that he preferred Klaasen over Verreynne because he regarded Klaasen as a “better Batter”. Klaasen scored 56 runs in four innings against West Indies, with a top score of 20 while Verrynne finished as the third-leading run-scorer in last season’s first-class competition.
Conrad chose Verreynne against India but at the time of announcing the squad, the head coach said Klaasen would likely play in Tests later this year.
No reason was revealed for his retirement, but with a busy schedule in the IPL, Hundred, and MLC, it is likely that Klaasen is pursuing T20 leagues in this phase of his career.
During his retirement announcement, Klaasen said, “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 favorite format of the game,” he said in a statement.
“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.”
South Africa will play seven Tests in 2024 two each in West Indies and Bangladesh, two against Sri Lanka at Home ground, and one against Pakistan.
They will be not playing any home tests in January 2025 and September 2026. They will only play in a two-match series for the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle and their side will need to have some players to prioritise their availability across formats.
South Africa will be playing a two-match Test series against New Zealand between February 4 and 17.
South Africa and New Zealand will be playing their first test match on February 04 at Bay Oval.
