Heinrich Klaasen has retired from Test cricket with immediate effect after playing four Tests for South Africa between 2019 and 2023.

The wicketkeeper’s last Test was in March 2023 against the West Indies where he made 17 and 14, ending the series with 56 runs across four innings with a high score of 20. Klaasen was picked for the series in Australia in January earlier after a gap of four years but could leave little impact with 35 and 20 in Sydney.

Klaasen’s first Test appearance was in 2019 against India in Ranchi but a score of 11 runs in the game saw him being dropped from the squad. He ends his Test career with 104 runs at an average of 13.

The 32-year-old played in 85 first-class matches and averaged 46.09 with 12 centuries and 24 fifties. Klaasen will continue playing white-ball cricket for South Africa, having been more successful in ODIs and T20Is. He averages 40.06 in 50-over cricket and has a strike rate of 147.64 after 43 T20Is.

In a statement announcing his retirement, Klaasen said, “After a few sleepless nights wondering if I am making the right decision, I have decided to retire from red-ball cricket. It’s a difficult decision that I have made because it is by far my favourite format of the game.

“The battles that I faced on and off the field have made me the cricketer I am today. It has been a great journey and I am glad I could have represented my country. My baggy Test cap is the most precious cap I have ever been handed.”

Klaasen didn’t explicitly mention why he was retiring from Test cricket. One of the most in-demand players in white-ball cricket around the globe, Klaasen has contracts in various franchise leagues, which might have been a factor behind this decision.

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