It has been a day of international cricket retirements, as South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen confirmed his exit from all formats of the international scene just hours after Australia’s Glenn Maxwell retired from ODIs.
The 33-year-old big-hitting South African last played for the Proteas in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal against New Zealand in March of this year.
In April, he was excluded from Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) list of contracted players, which could have potentially triggered his shock retirement.
Social media reactions
Unsurprisingly, many fans on social media were shocked to learn of the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s star batter’s decision to retire from international cricket.
SunRisers OrangeArmy Official, the official fan army of SRH, posted on X, “Heinrich Klaasen bids farewell to international cricket a warrior behind the stumps and with the bat. Thank you for the memories, Klaasy!”
One fan expressed shock at the spate of recent retirements, stating, “Now HEINRICH KLAASEN retired; what’s happening?” while “Dinda Academy”, a parody cricket account, questioned why South African players retired early by posting, “AB de Villiers retired at 34, Klaasen retired at 33, Andre Nel retired at 32, and Duanne Olivier retired at 30. What’s the reason SA players retire early?”
Another fan has been left disappointed with the recent retirements of South African players by posting this:
Here are a few more reactions to Klaasen’s retirement
Klaasen retirement
The SRH batsman made his ODI and T20I debuts in 2018 for South Africa and he established himself as one of the most destructive white-ball players of his generation.
The tall right-handed batsman represented his country in 60 ODIs and amassed over 2,000 runs at an average of just under 44 in the middle order.
Klaasen also represented South Africa in 58 T20Is, striking at a rate of 141.84. His ability to take on bowling attacks with calculated aggression made him a mainstay in South Africa’s limited-overs setup.
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