New Delhi, April 3 South Africa's aggressive batsman Heinrich Klaasen has officially ruled out an international comeback, confirming his retirement to prioritize family time after briefly considering it.
Klaasen, 34, had retired from all forms of international cricket last June, following his omission from South Africa's central contracts, to focus on playing in T20 leagues.
Now, despite experiencing "FOMO" (fear of missing out) during the 2026 T20 World Cup, the Protea, known for his aggressive batting, said he is not returning.
In a video posted by the IPL on social media, Klaasen spoke with his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Nitish Kumar Reddy about his future in the game.
"I had been considering it for about two weeks. And then we decided against it," Klaasen said.
"Obviously, my family plays a big role. I have missed my friends when they did extremely well in the World Cup. But I had a little bit more FOMO, and I wanted to come back.
"I actually spoke to Aiden (Markram). He said that if I was capped, then I would definitely come back. But after the World Cup, I realized that it wasn't going to happen. So, I'm not coming back."
Klaasen had retired from Test cricket earlier in 2024.
He last played internationally during the 2025 Champions Trophy, where South Africa lost the semifinal to New Zealand by 50 runs.
Klaasen struck a brisk fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs in their Indian Premier League match in Kolkata on Thursday.
Sent in to bat, Travis Head (46) and Abhishek Sharma (48) shared an opening stand of 82 runs off 34 balls to set up the platform, while Klaasen (52) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (39) provided the late charge as SRH posted a challenging 226 for eight.
In reply, KKR folded for 161 in 16 overs with Angkrish Raghuvanshi top-scoring with a 29-ball 52.