Recently-retired South African batter Heinrich Klaasen revealed the shocking reason behind his decision to step away from international cricket. Last week, Klaasen stunned the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from all formats of international cricket.

South Africa considered Klaasen’s decision a major blow ahead of the 2027 World Cup, where he would have served as a key drawcard for the team.

Heinrich Klaasen is now opening up about his decision, which he initially kept vague in his retirement announcement. In a recent interview with a foreign media outlet, South African batter Heinrich Klaasen revealed that he retired from cricket because he lost interest in playing.

“I felt for a long time that I didn’t care about any of my performances and whether the team won or not. That’s the wrong place to be. I had a long conversation with Rob [Walter] before the Champions Trophy, and I told him I didn’t feel good in my heart about what was going on. I wasn’t enjoying it that much,” he said.

Heinrich Klaasen added, “We talked nicely, we planned everything nicely up to and including the World Cup in 2027. So when he finished as coach and the [contract] negotiations [with CSA] didn’t go as planned, it made my decision a lot easier.”

The former South African batter said he feels joyful now that he has all the time to spend with his family after years of traveling with the national team.

“Now I can spend six, seven months at home. My family needs it, it’s been a long four years with a lot of travel. I need a little rest,” he added.

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