In a ground-breaking development, South African batting prodigy Heinrich Klaasen has decided to call time on his international cricketing career at age 32. Klaasen confirmed the news of his retirement on his personal Instagram handle. The iconic Protea legend will no longer appear in South African colours. 

Klaasen was thankful to have represented South Africa, describing it as a lifelong aspiration and the greatest honor of his professional career. Furthermore, he expressed his heartfelt gratitude to his coaches, teammates, and supporters for their encouragement during his journey, stating that he will forever treasure the bonds and experiences formed while playing for the national team. 

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Klaasen pens an emotional note on his retirement

On his Instagram account, Klaasen expressed that it was not an easy decision for him to make. He feels sad to exit international cricket but stresses that it was in his best interest, keeping his family aspirations in mind. 

“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.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Heinrich Klaasen (@heinie45)

Earlier today, Australia's Glenn Maxwell shocked the world by announcing his sudden ODI retirement. It does not take long for Klaasen to follow suit as well, as he becomes the latest professional cricketer to bid farewell to all formats. Klaasen leaves behind a legacy that may be matched only by a select few in modern-day cricket. 

On the back of his aggressive, flamboyant batting,  Klaasen became the 11th Protea batter to cross 2000 ODI runs and did so at the 54th-fastest pace in the format’s history. Besides, his fireworks at the IPL are something to behold. In the ongoing IPL edition, Klaasen racked up a blazing century (105 off 37) against Kolkata Knight Riders in Delhi, equalling the joint third-fastest century held by Yusuf Pathan, only behind Chris Gayle (30 balls) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (35 balls).