South Africa power hitter Klaasen retires from international cricket
June 2 (Reuters) - South Africa batter Heinrich Klaasen has retired from all forms of international cricket, a blow for the country ahead of their co-hosting of the 2027 World Cup where he would have been a major draw card.
Klaasen, 33, is one of the world's most destructive batters in white-ball cricket and a mainstay of the South African limited-overs side in recent years. He is likely to maintain a presence on the global Twenty20 league circuit.
"It is a sad day for me as I announce that I have decided to step away from international cricket," he said in a Cricket South Africa statement on Monday.
"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.
"I look forward to spending more time with my family as this decision will allow me to do so."
South Africa's Director of National Teams and High Performance Enoch Nkwe said he understood the reasons for Klaasen's decision.
"He has been transparent with Cricket South Africa throughout the past few months, and we fully respect his decision to retire from international cricket," Nkwe said. "We wish him continued success in the next chapter of his journey."
Klaasen averaged 43.69 with four centuries and 11 fifties in 60 one-day internationals, and scored exactly 1,000 runs in 58 T20 internationals at a strike rate of 141.84. He also played four test matches for South Africa.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
24 minutes ago
- Reuters
Ashes tickets sell at record rate
SYDNEY, June 4 (Reuters) - Tickets for the Ashes series were snapped up at a record rate when they went on sale on Tuesday with the allocations for the first three days of the Brisbane and Sydney tests as well as day one of the Melbourne test all exhausted. Cricket Australia said a total of 311,066 tickets were purchased on Tuesday for international matches in the home 2025-26 season, when the hosts will defend the urn against England in a five-test series. The previous record for a single day's sale was 111,741 tickets ahead of the 2017-18 Ashes series, CA said. "The record demand for tickets shows the excitement fans are feeling about the fantastic international season to come," said Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg. Australia won both the 2017-18 series and following home series in 2021–22 4-0 before drawing 2-2 in England in 2023 to retain the urn. England last triumphed in Australia in 2010-11, which is also the last time the tourists won a test Down Under. This year's series begins in Perth in late November before a day-night match in Brisbane, the third test in Adelaide and the traditional Melbourne and Sydney tests in December and January. More tranches of tickets will be made available for those fans who signed up for pre-allocation at a later date, while the general public will be able to make purchases from June 13. Australia also host both South Africa and India in Twenty20 and one-day series before the Ashes, while the women's team will play India in all three formats in February and March.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Stead stands down as New Zealand coach after seven years
June 4 (Reuters) - Gary Stead will stand down as Black Caps coach at the end of June, New Zealand Cricket said on Wednesday, bringing to an end a highly successful seven-year reign that included the capture of the inaugural World Test Championship title. The 53-year-old stood down as coach of the country's white ball teams in April and his desire to spend less time on tour ultimately did not marry with NZC's aspiration to have one coach across all formats. "There's been some amazing memories over the past seven years based around a group of fantastic and talented people who have gone out to give their best for their country," he said in a NZC statement. "It's been nice to be competitive across all three formats and I'd like to think that regardless of results, the opposition know the Black Caps are a team that won't fold." Stead said the World Test Championship triumph in 2021 and New Zealand's 3-0 sweep of India on the sub-continent last year were the highlights of his time in charge. New Zealand also finished as runners-up on boundary countback at the 2019 50-overs World Cup, runners-up at the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup as well as at the Champions Trophy earlier this year. The Black Caps topped the test and ODI rankings and reached the semi-finals at two other white-ball World Cups during his time in charge. "For a country with five million people and limited resources, we comparatively perform outstandingly well against the other powerhouses of the game," Stead added. Producing consistent performances over such a lengthy period rested in some part on Stead's ability to refresh the squad with young players as generational talents retired or spent lengthy periods on the sidelines with injury. Former Black Caps captain Kane Williamson said Stead is likely to be remembered as one of New Zealand's most successful cricket coaches. "There was no one more hardworking and passionate about seeing the Black Caps grow and succeed," he said. "He was always thorough in his planning and preparation and will go down as one of our best coaches, but an even better bloke." NZC have already started the search for the successor to the former top-order test batsman and Stead said he would take some time to recharge before seeking out another challenge. "I still have the coaching bug and will look to explore opportunities at home and abroad where I can look to share what I've learned from my 30 years of professional sport as a player and coach," he said.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
IPL finally delivers for King Kohli after overcoming a conflict and ushering in a teenage star
Virat Kohli shed tears. Of joy. At last. Cricket's biggest star, known as 'King Kohli' by his 300 million-plus followers on social media, was there in the infancy of the Indian Premier League in 2008 and had to wait 18 seasons to clinch the title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. After the six-wicket win over Punjab Kings on Tuesday night to end a dramatic, disrupted season for the world's richest franchise cricket league, Kohli slumped to his knees and cried. He retired from test cricket during the season, leaving his focus on the Twenty20 format at the IPL. 'I have given everything to this franchise for the last 18 years," the 36-year-old star batter said. 'I never thought this moment would come.' Young star emerges The 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi became an instant hit and set all kinds of records when he made his century. With some of India's biggest stars nearing retirement, he's being touted as the next big thing. A final scene Narendra Modi Stadium was decked in India's national colors while players from Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings went about their pre-match rituals. Both teams went into the decider aiming to win their first IPL title. Fighter jets roared across the evening sky, leaving tricolor vapor lingering. Later, the closing ceremony was a celebration of India's armed forces. This final — on a weekday — was originally scheduled for May 25, and meant to be played in Kolkata. But the league was suspended for a week because of the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. In the past, the IPL has moved to South Africa and the United Arab Emirates because of national elections or restrictions imposed to during the COVID-19 pandemic. The suspension due to a border conflict was unprecedented. Border conflict The Punjab Kings-Delhi Capitals game on May 8 was abandoned midway, and squads and broadcast crew traveled by train from Dharamsala to Delhi. Foreign players and their families flew out immediately for their safety. IPL is the biggest money spinner in cricket – one of the biggest properties in world sport – and the major stakeholders were determined for the show to go on. IPL's resumption was never in question once the cross-border tensions eased. The new schedule was drawn up — six venues were short-listed and the final moved from Kolkata to Ahmedabad. Perhaps the biggest takeaway was the swift return of most of the contracted foreign players, especially for teams still in knockout contention. In some situations, where replacements were sought, the Board of Control for Cricket in India allowed teams to hire players short-term. Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis, for example, got out of his PSL contract with Quetta Gladiators and signed up with Gujarat Titans for the remainder of the season. The big knocks While the league suspension will go down in history, the season will be memorable for some scintillating cricket — 200-plus totals were posted a record 52 times in 74 matches this season. The previous best was 41 in IPL 2024. Additionally, 200-plus was chased down on nine occasions. 2024 runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad, who finished sixth this season scored the season's highest against Rajasthan Royals — 286-6. It also posted the highest successful run-chase, scoring 247-2 in reply to Punjab's 245-6. Bengaluru, which arguably boasts of the most passionate supporters in the IPL, winning its maiden IPL title was perhaps a marker of how well the season reemerged after the forced suspension. What's next for India? During the break, Indian cricket also took a giant leap toward its future. Stalwarts Kohli and Rohit Sharma had walked away from test cricket within six days even as the Indian selectors looked ahead to the tour of England which begins this month. Shubman Gill is the new test skipper and will lead India into a whole new era. Sai Sudharsan, the highest run-getter of IPL 2025 with 759 runs in 15 games, has also been picked in India's test squad for England. ___
