Former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen has revealed that he was close to taking a u-turn on retirement from international cricket. Klaasen even had a word with captain Aiden Markram but in the end, decided against it. The thought stayed with him for two weeks but the 34-year-old will continue to his journey as T20 freelancer and spend more time with his family.
"It was a thought for about two weeks. And then we decided against it. Obviously, my family plays a big role in it. I've missed my friends when they did extremely well in the World Cup. But I had a little bit more FOMO, and I wanted to come back. I spoke to Aiden (Markram), actually. He said if he's capped, then I will definitely come back. But after the World Cup, I realised it's not going to happen. So, I'm not coming back," Klaasen said in a conversation with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) teammate Nitish Kumar Reddy, posted on IPL’s official website.
Klaasen had announced his retirement from international cricket in June 2025, 11 months after the heartbreak in T20 World Cup 2024 final.
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No dearth of wicketkeeper-batters for Proteas
The current South African team has plenty of wicketkeeping options. Quinton de Kock came out of retirement and has been doing well in white-ball formats. Ryan Rickelton is another wicketkeeper-batter who has done well for South Africa. In addition, they also have Matthew Breetzke who can bat at the top and in the middle order as well.
Also, they have plenty of options in the middle order even when there’s a question mark over David Miller’s ODI future after central contract snub.
Klaasen scores fifty, SRH win big
In the clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Klaasen scored 52 runs from 35 balls, featuring four fours and a six. Reddy contributed with a 24-ball 39. Later, Reddy did damage with the ball by dismissing Rinku Singh and Anukul Roy in the same over. SRH won the game by 65 runs, their first in the season. Their next clash is against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at home on April 5.