Heinrich Klaasen's Shocking Revelation On Sudden International Retirement: "Didn't Really Care..."
Former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen has made a sensational claim, days after announcing a shock retirement from Test cricket. Last week, Klaasen stunned the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from international cricket. Klaasen played for the Proteas in the Champions Trophy earlier this year, before being overlooked by Cricket South Africa (CSA) for a central contract. Speaking on his decision to retire, Klaasen revealed that he was in a really bad headspace and he wasn't really enjoying playing for South Africa.
"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. I had a long conversation with Rob [Walter] 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," Wisden quoted Klaasen as saying to Rapport.
Klaasen said that he wanted to play till the 2027 ODI World Cup at least, he had a change in heart after head coach Rob Walter's resignation.
"We talked nicely, we planned everything nicely up to and including the World Cup in 2027. So when he finished as coach and the [contract] negotiations [with CSA] didn't go as planned, it made my decision a lot easier," he added.
Klaasen expressed his desire to spend time with his family after stepping away from international cricket.
"Now I can spend six, seven months at home. My family needs it, it's been a long four years with a lot of travel. I need a little rest," said Klaasen," he pointed out.
Klaasen's availability to play in the Major League Cricket (MLC) and The Hundred would have kept him away from the Zimbabwe-New Zealand tri-nation series and white-ball tour to Australia, which caused the negotiations with CSA to fall short, as per the Rapport report.
The batter, a father to a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, revealed that his desire to spend time with his family also contributed to his retirement: "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."
Klaasen's iconic whip-pull off the spinners made him a dangerous prospect across the formats for South Africa. He 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.
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