Heinrich Klaasen has retired from Test cricket with immediate effect and will continue to be available for South Africa in white-ball formats. Klaasen played four Tests between 2019 and 2023, the most recent against West Indies last summer. He is the second senior player to retire from the format after Dean Elgar. Test coach Shukri Conrad said Klaasen was still part of his plans, but Klaasen has now taken himself out of contention for future tours. No reason was provided for his retirement, but with commitments in the IPL, Hundred, and MLC, it is likely that Klaasen is pursuing T20 leagues in this phase of his career. South Africa will play seven more Tests in 2024 but do not play any home Tests between January 2025 and September 2026. They will only play in two-match series for the 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle, leading some players to reprioritize their availability across formats.
