'I haven’t even had a conversation with him' - South Africa coach Shukri Conrad opens up on Heinrich Klaasen's retirement
Shukri Conrad claimed it was unfortunate for South African cricket to lose a player like Heinrich Klaasen.
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Shukri Conrad opened up on Heinrich Klaasen's retirement from international cricket. The South African coach was disappointed to lose a player of Klaasen's caliber. He then claimed to have not had any conversation with the star player regarding his retirement. Conrad claimed that the wicketkeeper-batter had made up his decision and turned down the central contract.
During the practice match between South Africa and Zimbabwe ahead of the WTC Final 2025, Conrad spoke to the media and regarded the middle-order batter to be one of the best in the world. While he was not aware of the reason behind Klaasen's move, Conrad felt it would be sad if he chose to not have a conversation to prefer playing in leagues over country.
"Obviously, if you lose a player of the calibre of Heinrich Klaasen, you’d be disappointed. But if that’s the narrative that you want to espouse, that I’m the common factor, then be my guest. I haven’t even had a conversation with Heinrich. He turned down the contract long before I was even a thought in the white-ball space," said Conrad.
"It’s really unfortunate that we lose a player of his calibre. He’s one of the best in the world, if not the best, among the white ball middle-order batters. I’d be disappointed if it [Klaasen retiring to favour leagues] was, because we didn’t have a conversation," Conrad added.
I know Heinrich from way back when he was at the academy: Conrad
The South African coach said he would not have interfered if the players had signed contracts with various teams in leagues before he came to power. Conrad claimed to know Klaasen from his younger days in the academy and said it would be surprising if Klaasen indeed chose to play leagues over the nation without having a conversation with him.
"I think if guys pre-signed deals prior to me coming on board, I certainly wasn’t going to come in there and say, ‘Well, you have got to withdraw from whatever you pre-signed'," the South African coach added at Arundel.
"So, without us ever having a conversation, I’d be disappointed if that was why he retired. From the little bit I know, I know Heinrich from way back when he was at the academy, kept in the academy sides when I was the coach. I’d be very surprised if he was as short-sighted as that," Conrad concluded.
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