A new trend has emerged will this cause South African cricket to collapse, or will the steady stream of young talent lift the Proteas out of their title drought? The answer to this question lies in the hands of time.
He was in good form not just better than average, but truly excellent. Yet AB de Villiers made the difficult decision to retire. He was only 34 years old at the time.
Surprising everyone and leaving cricket fans in sorrow, he set a precedent. That precedent seemed to appeal to Protea batters, as many have started to approach the finish line before their time is truly up.
Quinton de Kock became the second player on that list. Before even reaching his 30s, he bid farewell to international Test cricket.
It was later revealed that AB de Villiers retired due to eye problems, and he stepped away from all forms of the game. But nothing like that happened in Quinton de Kock’s case. In fact, after retiring from Test cricket, he continued to play franchise cricket with ease.
The latest addition to this early retirement trend among Protea batters is Heinrich Klaasen. He was at the peak of his form he scored fifties in five of his last six ODI innings and was averaging nearly 70. This is usually when batters want to enrich their records and etch their names in the history books.
But Klaasen seems to walk a different path. The allure of records and stats didn’t affect him. He said goodbye to international cricket at the age of just 33. He had plenty of time left, and unlike de Villiers, he wasn’t suffering from any injury.
Even in the most recent edition of the Indian Premier League, he scored a century. Yet for some unknown reason, he chose not to wear the South African jersey again. People are trying to find an explanation, but Klaasen has said it was a deeply personal decision.
Still, now that this trend has taken root will South African cricket suffer as a result, or will the continuous stream of youth eventually lift the nation out of its title drought? Only time will tell.
