Heinrich Klaasen Archives

South Africa spinner pays heartfelt tribute to retiring Heinrich Klaasen

South Africa’s veteran spinner Keshav Maharaj has paid glowing tribute to Heinrich Klaasen, following the wicketkeeper-batter’s unexpected retirement from international cricket.

Speaking to the ICC while preparing for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, Maharaj reflected on Klaasen’s impactful yet relatively short international career, praising his evolution into one of the most dangerous white-ball batters in world cricket.

“He is probably one of, if not the most feared batsmen, especially in the white-ball game these days,” Maharaj said.

“Yeah, it is sad to know that he is walking away. He is still young—he’s younger than me. But you know, we can only wish him well. I’m sure he has his reasons, and you’ve got to respect that.”

Klaasen, who debuted for South Africa in 2018, enjoyed notable success in limited-overs formats, particularly ODIs, where he played 60 matches, scored 2,141 runs at an average of 43.69, and struck at an impressive 117.05.

His career-defining knock came against Australia in Centurion in 2023, where he hammered a brutal 174 off just 83 balls — the highest-ever ODI score by a batter at No. 5 in history.

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Keshav Maharaj described Klaasen’s rise as a story of perseverance and timing.

“It is amazing to see how his journey transitioned—from being in and out of the team, probably not knowing where he stood, to one series that really changed the game,” he noted.

“It’s a huge boot to fill in the lineup, but I know he’ll still be supporting us and making sure we get over the line in this game as well.”

The 2020 ODI series against Australia was pinpointed by Maharaj as the turning point in Klaasen’s career, a moment that saw him cement his place in South Africa’s white-ball setup.

Klaasen’s performance in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final also stood out for Maharaj, who labelled it a testament to his big-match temperament.

“He brought us back into the game and gave us a little bit of hope. We probably did not cross the final hurdle, but it was super special to witness his calibre in a game of that magnitude. It just shows why he’s world-class,” he said.

In T20Is, Heinrich Klaasen featured in 58 matches, scored 1,000 runs at a strike rate of 141.84, and registered five fifties. He also played four Test matches, scoring 104 runs at an average of 13.00.

READ: Australia to tour Pakistan for white-ball series in 2026, confirms CA

South Africa’s explosive batter announces retirement from international cricket

South Africa’s explosive middle-order batter and wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect.

The 33-year-old made the announcement via Instagram, calling it a “sad day” as he steps away from the international game.

“It is a sad day for me as I announce that I have decided to step away from international cricket,” Klaasen wrote.

“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.

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“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.

“I look forward to spending more time with my family as this decision will allow me to do so.

“I will always be a big Proteas supporter and would like to thank everyone that supported me and my teammates during my career.”

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Klaasen made his international debut in 2018 during an ODI series against India and went on to represent South Africa in all three formats — four Tests, 60 ODIs, and 58 T20Is over a seven-year career.

ODIs proved to be his strongest format, where he amassed 2,141 runs at an impressive average of 43.69 and a blazing strike rate of 117.05. His record includes four centuries and 11 half-centuries.

Among his standout performances was the unforgettable 174 off just 83 balls against Australia at Centurion in 2023 — the highest individual score by any batter at No. 5 in ODI history.

In T20Is, Heinrich Klaasen scored 1,000 runs at a strike rate of 141.84 and an average of 23.25, often providing quick runs in the middle order.

READ: Glenn Maxwell bids farewell to ODI cricket

‘Knocking Pakistan out will put a smile on my face’ Heinrich Klaasen

KARACHI: South Africa explosive batter Heinrich Klaasen, on Tuesday, expressed his desire to knock out hosts Pakistan from the tri-nation series ahead of their virtual semi-final, set to be played on Wednesday.

Earlier today, Klaasen joined as one of the five vital players for Protea’s inexperienced squad here.

Speaking at a press conference, Klaasen revealed his plans for the forth-coming crucial match against the home side, which could seal their place in the final of the tri-nation series.

The wicket-keeper lauded Pakistan’s strength in their home conditions and expressed his desire to knock out the Men in Green from the tournament.

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“Tomorrow is obviously a big day for the series. We played Pakistan not too long ago, but obviously, Pakistan in their conditions are a different beast, so I’m looking forward to that,” said Klaasen.

He further said that the mega event is also in mind, and the tri-nation series will be a good stimulus for that event.

“Obviously, there’s a bigger picture in mind as well. The ICC [Champions] trophy is also in play next week, so it’s a good exercise for us.”

If we can knock them out and play in the final, and the home country is not involved, that will at least put a smile on my face,” said Klaasen.

South Africa will be boosted by the likes of Heinrich Klaasen and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj ahead of their match against Pakistan.

However, several key players, including David Miller, Aiden Markaram, Tristan Stubbs, and Rassie van der Dussen, will not be available for their crucial clash.

It is pertinent to mention that New Zealand booked their place in the tri-nation series finals after defeating South Africa and Pakistan.

The match between Proteas and Men in Green will be a virtual semi-final, and the winner will advance to the finals.

South Africa squad for tri-nation ODI series:

Matthew Breetzke, Temba Bavuma(c), Jason Smith, Kyle Verreynne(w), Wiaan Mulder, Eathan Bosch, Senuran Muthusamy, Mihlali Mpongwana, Junior Dala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Heinrich Klaasen, Tony de Zorzi, Corbin Bosch, Meeka eel Prince, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Gideon Peters

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David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen recalled to South Africa squad for India T20Is

JOHANNESBURG: Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Thursday recalled star batters David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen to the national T20I squad for the upcoming four-match series against India.

The series will kick off in Durban on 8 November, followed by subsequent matches in Gqeberha, Centurion and Johannesburg on 10, 13 and 15 November respectively.

Along with Miller and Klaasen, left-arm fast bowler Marco Jansen and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj will also be making their return to South Africa’s T20I squad.

All four missed a series against Ireland in September because they were playing in professional franchise leagues.

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Coach Rob Walter announced a near full-strength squad although fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will be rested ahead of four home Test matches South Africa will play this season.

Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee was included after recovering from a side strain injury. The squad also features two uncapped players in all-rounders Mihlali Mpongwana and Andile Simelane.

In addition to Rabada, missing from the team that played in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final against India will be Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje, who are no longer contracted to CSA, and left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.

India announced a squad for the T20I series against South Africa last week which does not include many of their leading players, who will be preparing for a Test series against Australia.

Squads

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla (third and fourth matches only) and Tristan Stubbs.

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.

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Klaasen hammers century as South Africa post 416-5 against Australia

Heinrich Klaasen slammed 174 off 83 balls to lead a South African batting assault against Australia in the fourth one-day international at SuperSport Park on Friday.

Klaasen shared an extraordinary fifth-wicket partnership of 222 off only 94 balls with David Miller (82 not out) as South Africa piled up 416 for five, their fifth-highest total in one-day internationals.

Klaasen struck 13 fours and 13 sixes before being caught on the boundary off the last ball of the innings.

A run spree of such magnitude did not seem likely as accurate as Australian bowling and a slower than usual Centurion pitch saw South Africa make relatively sedate progress on a ground known for high scoring.

At the second drinks break, the total was 157 for three off 32 overs.

The acceleration started with a stand of 74 off 57 balls between Rassie van der Dussen (62) and Klaasen.

It went into over-drive when the left-handed Miller joined Heinrich Klaasen and hit the second ball he faced, from leg-spinner Adam Zampa, for six.

Miller’s 82 not-out came from 45 balls and included five sixes and six fours.

South Africa’s thrashing saw Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa equalling Mick Lewis’ record of the worst bowling figures in ODI cricket.

Zampa was taken to the cleaners by the South African batters and consequently conceded a whopping 113 runs in his quota of 10 overs and went wicketless.

Zampa went for nine sixes and eight fours during South Africa’s onslaught which also included a 26-run 48th over against Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller.

His dismal bowling figures were the joint-most expensive in the history of ODI, equalling Mick Lewis’ dubious, who also went for none for 113 against South Africa in 2006.

Notably, Adam Zampa’s haul of nine sixes is the joint-second worst by a bowler in an ODI and is now only behind Rashid Khan, who conceded 10 sixes against England in 2019.

Zampa was hammered for 113 runs off his 10 overs, Marcus Stoinis conceded 81 runs and Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Ellis went for 79 apiece.

It is a must-win game for South Africa, with Australia leading the five-match series 2-1.

READ: Adam Zampa equals worst bowling figures in ODIs

Klaasen scores first-ever MLC century as Seattle Orcas sink MI New York

MORRISVILLE: Heinrich Klaasen scored the first-ever century in the history of Major League Cricket (MLC) and powered Seattle Orcas to beat MI New York in the last group stage fixture on Tuesday.

Set to chase a massive 195, the Orcas amassed 195/8 with four balls to spare at the back of a scintillating century by Heinrich Klaasen.

The right-handed baton charged the MI New York bowlers on his way to an unbeaten 110.

He conceded a mere 44 deliveries and smashed nine boundaries and seven sixes amid his match-winning and record-setting knock.

Orcas were 37/2 in the sixth over when Heinrich Klaasen came out to bat. The right-handed batter soon anchored the run chase with a brilliant 62-run partnership with Nauman Anwar.

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The pair of Anwar and Klaasen dominated MI New York bowlers with belligerent hitting before Nosthush Kenjige finally removed the former.

Anwar scored 51 off 30 balls, smashing six boundaries and three sixes.

The Orcas then began to lose wickets at regular intervals but Heinrich Klaasen stood his ground firm and pulled off a sensational victory for his side with an unbeaten century.

He top-scored for the Orcas with a 44-ball 110 which featured nine boundaries and seven sixes, the highest individual score in the history of MLC.

Trent Boult led the bowling attack for MI New York with 4/31, followed by Rashid Khan’s 2/41.

Put into bat first, MI New York posted a commendable total of 194/8, thanks to a quickfire 68-run knock by Nicholas Pooran.

The wicketkeeper batter scored 68 in just 34 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and seven sixes.

Besides him, MI New York captain Kieron Pollard also made a vital contribution with an 18-ball 34 which featured one boundary and three sixes.

Trent Boult’s sensational six-ball 20 at the death further bolstered MI New York to a massive total.

Imad Wasim and Harmeet Singh led the bowling attack for the Orcas with two wickets each while Cameron Gannon and Andrew Tye made one scalp each.

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Klaasen slams 54-ball century, South Africa level series

POTCHEFSTROOM: Heinrich Klaasen slammed a 54-ball century as South Africa beat the West Indies by four wickets in the third and final one-day international on Tuesday.

South Africa were in trouble at 87 for four chasing a West Indian total of 260 but Klaasen went for his shots and the home side chased down the target with 20.3 overs to spare.

The series was shared 1-1 after the first match was rained off.

“We try to play conditions and not the situation and the conditions were fantastic,” said Klaasen.

Klaasen finished with 119 not out off 61 balls, hitting 15 fours and five sixes in Potchefstroom. He shared partnerships of 55 off 38 balls with David Miller (17) and a match-clinching sixth-wicket stand of 103 off 62 deliveries with Marco Jansen (43).

“It was a good wicket and it was one of my better knocks,” said Klaasen after notching his second one-day international century and the fourth-fastest for South Africa behind two from AB de Villiers one from Mark Boucher.

De Villiers holds the world record with his 31-ball hundred against the West Indies in Johannesburg in 2014/15.

Alzarri Joseph rocked the South Africans at the start of their innings by taking the first two wickets with aggressive, short-pitched bowling.

He finished with three for 50 but the rest of the West Indian bowlers took heavy punishment.

Klaasen was particularly severe on spin bowlers Akeal Hosein, who took two for 49 in seven overs, and Yannic Cariah, who conceded 49 runs in 3.3 overs.

West Indies were bowled out for 260 after they were sent in by Aiden Markram, captaining South Africa in the absence of Temba Bavuma, who had a hamstring strain.

Brandon King struck 11 fours and a six in making 72 off 72 balls in an innings studded with elegant drives.

But the rest of the West Indian batsmen failed, apart from Nicholas Pooran, who hit 39 and Jason Holder, who made 36.

“We batted well in parts but we definitely did not perform with the ball,” said West Indies captain Shai Hope.

The series did not count for the World Cup Super League but Markram said Tuesday’s result was important ahead of two matches against the Netherlands at the end of the month which South Africa must win if they hope to qualify automatically for the World Cup.

“It’s nice to get momentum going into those games,” said Markram.

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Klaasen, bowlers storm Capitals to earn bonus for Super Giants

CENTURION: Heinrich Klaasen blasted an explosive century before bowlers wreaked havoc on Pretoria Capitals’ batting line to give Durban’s Super Giants a commanding 151-run victory and a bonus point in the SA20 on Sunday.

Klaasen made an unbeaten 104 from 44 balls as he led the fireworks alongside Mathew Breetzke to help Super Giants post a mammoth total of 254/4 after they were put into bat.

Capitals, in reply, collapsed completely during the chase as they were bundled out for a paltry 103 runs with more than six still left to be bowled.

Junior Dala led the bowling charge for Super Giant as he picked up three wickets for 33 runs while Dwaine Pretorius and Wiaan Mulder scalped two wickets each.

None of the Capitals’ batters managed to fire in as tailender Eathan Bosch top-scored for the side with his run-of-the-mill knock of 23 off 13.

Earlier, Super Giants held a phenomenal batting show as openers Quinton de Kock and Ben McDermott set the stage with a flourishing start. Skipper de Kock smashed 43 from 20 balls while his opening partner made 41 off 24.

After intermittent wickets between the 7th and 14th over, the last six overs of Super Giants’ innings witnessed an onslaught by Klaasen and Breetzke.

Klaasen smacked 10 fours and six maximums during his exception knock while Breetzke hit five fours and three sixes to make a quick-fire 46 from 21 balls.

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Klaasen, bowlers star as South Africa thump India in the second T20I

CUTTACK: South African wicket-keeper batter Heinrich Klaasen shone with his career-best T20I knock of 81 runs after the bowlers displayed combined effort to power the touring side to outclass India by four wickets in the second T20I of the ongoing five-match series.

At the toss, the South African captain Temba Bavuma put the hosts in to bat first as the coin flipped in his favour.

India, in response, could only manage to score 148/6 in the allotted 20 overs as the Proteas bowlers kept things tight for the host batters.

The home side were off to a poor start as the South African pacer Kagiso Rabada struck in the first over to remove the opener Raturaj Gaikwad for one at a combined score of three.

Following the early disaster, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer attempted to anchor the inning as the pair put on the highest partnership for India in the match.

The pair appeared firm as they were ticking the scoreboard at a decent pace before Kishan lost his wicket to Anrich Nortje in the seventh over. The left-handed batter scored 34 off just 21 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and three sixes.

Following his dismissal, the home side began to lose wickets at a regular interval and slipped 98/5 in the 14th over as their top-scorer Iyer also made his way back falling prey to the match-defining collapse. Iyer scored 40 off 35 balls, including two boundaries and as many sixes.

The wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik then bolstered his side to a commendable following a blistering knock in the death overs. He remained unbeaten with 30 runs off just 21 balls, laced with two boundaries and as many sixes.

For South Africa, Nortje led the way with two wickets, while Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorious, Keshav Maharaj, and Rabada claimed one wicket each.

In the run chase, the touring side were off to even more dismal as they lost three wickets for a mere 29 runs in the sixth over.

The South African captain Bavuma and hero of the match Klaasen then anchored the run chase with a magnificent 64-run partnership for the fourth wicket and made sure to cope up with the required run rate.

Bavuma, however, fell short to Yuzvendra Chahal, who castled him in the 13th over. He scored 35 off 30 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six.

Klaasen, on the other hand, kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly during his career-best knock. The right-handed batter, however, perished in the 17th over but had taken the game out of India’s grasp.

Klaasen top-scored for his side with a valiant knock of 81 runs off just 46 deliveries, smashing seven boundaries and five sixes.

South Africa’s last match hero David Miller remained unbeaten with his 20 and made sure of his side to steer to the victory.

For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar starred with the ball; taking four wickets, while Harhsal Patel and Chahal made one scalp each.

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