3 Players who can replace Heinrich Klaasen in all formats for South Africa

The South African cricket fraternity has been hit with shocking news as star wicketkeeper-batter and T20 World Cup 2024 finalist Heinrich Klaasen has announced his retirement from international cricket. The 33-year-old Pretoria-born cricketer has played several game-changing knocks during his career, which will be remembered by fans. His departure leaves the selectors with a tough task of finding the perfect replacement for a hard-hitting middle-order batter.

There are still some promising young players in the mix who could step up to fill Klaasen’s shoes within the South African squad, and it’s time to look at who those options could be. While some of them are still early in their careers, they’ve shown enough potential to earn a chance at the international level and prove their mettle on the biggest stage.

Here are top three players who could replace Heinrich Klaasen in South Africa squad:

3. Lhuan-dre Pretorius

Among the many young talents making a mark, 19-year-old Potchefstroom-born wicketkeeper-batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius stands out. He has already delivered impressive performances across all three formats in domestic cricket, averaging 72.66 in first-class cricket, 44.38 in List A, and boasting a strike rate of 147.17 in his overall T20 career so far.

He was last seen representing the Paarl Royals in SA20 2025, where he scored 397 runs in 12 matches at an average of 33.08 and a strike rate of 166.80. These efforts made him the leading run-scorer of the tournament. Though still in the early stages of his career, he is certainly one to watch.