The big-hitting middle order batter may never play for the Proteas again after choosing not to sign a contract with the national team for the coming season.
The decision by Proteas star Heinrich Klaasen to not sign a contract extension with the national team will come as a big shock and worry to many fans around the country, as well as to Cricket South Africa (CSA).
Klaasen is one of the most destructive batters in the world game and at 33 years old still has a good number of cricket years left in him.
However, his future with the Proteas is now up in the air, with CSA admitting that they are still in discussions with him about his future and that a decision will be made in due course.
Unfortunately, this is not likely to happen any time soon as Klaasen is currently playing in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad and is unlikely to enter into discussions with CSA about his Proteas future at this point in time.
Klaasen is on a white ball only contract with the Proteas, after he retired from Test cricket last year, having only played four Tests since his debut in 2019 and his final game against the West Indies in March 2023.
Open calendar
That means his calendar should be pretty open to represent the Proteas in the shorter formats, and with the T20 World Cup taking place in India next year, and the 2027 50-over World Cup being hosted in South Africa, along with co-hosts Zimbabwe and Namibia, it is astonishing that he wouldn’t want to compete in these events.
The question thus has to be asked, why exactly is he pulling out of the national team, if that is the case, especially with the newly announced hybrid contracts available?
If Klaasen wants more freedom to play in major T20 tournaments around the world, he can surely accept the hybrid contract, which David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen have taken up, which will see them play in specific agreed-upon bilateral tours and ICC events.
If it isn’t that, does it have something to do with the surprise resignation of former Proteas white ball coach Rob Walter?
We may never know, but for now we will just have to wait and see what exactly the outcome of this impasse will be, and if we will ever see Klaasen in Proteas colours again.
