"It is a sad day for me.."Heinrich Klaasen announces shock exit from international cricket

Cape Town: South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen on Monday announced his retirement from the international game.

The swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter, who made his debut in 2018, took to social media to announce his retirement.

In his statement, Klaasen 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."

Klaasen, who featured in 122 internationals for the Proteas, felt gratitude towards his coaches

during his cricketing journey, an ICC report said.

"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.

"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."

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.

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.

Klaasen had earlier retired from Tests in January 2024, having featured in four games in the longest format.