South African wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen surprised fans on Monday by announcing his retirement from all formats of international cricket via an Instagram post.
Klaasen took to his Instagram post and said, “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”
“From the first day, it was the biggest privilege representing my country and it was everything that I have worked for and dreamed about as a young boy,” the 33-year-old Klaasen added.
The explosive wicketkeeper-batter featured for South Africa in all three formats, playing a total of 102 matches including 4 Tests, 60 ODIs, and 58 T20Is. All four of his international centuries came in ODIs, and since making his debut in 2018, Klaasen amassed 3,145 runs.
“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” Klaasen wrote
“To have played with the Proteas badge on my chest was and will always be the biggest honour in my career. I look forward to spending more time with my family as this decision will allow me to do so” he added
“I will always be a big Proteas supporter and would like to thank everyone that supported me and my teammates during my career,” he concluded.
