Kevin Pietersen urges international star to come out of retirement for World Cup
Heinrich Klaasen's explosive 65* guided Sunrisers Hyderabad to a thrilling chase against Mumbai Indians. His power-hitting has impressed Kevin Pietersen, who urged Klaasen to reconsider his international retirement for South Africa's World Cup aspirations. Klaasen, however, is focused on family and franchise commitments after a stellar performance.
NEW DELHI: Heinrich Klaasen may have retired from international cricket, but his power-hitting continues to amaze many, including former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen. After Klaasen’s match-winning knock for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026, Pietersen urged him to consider a return to the South African side. Chasing a daunting 243/5 - powered by Ryan Rickelton’s record unbeaten 123 - SRH got off to a flying start through Abhishek Sharma (45) and Travis Head (76).
Klaasen then took centre stage, smashing an unbeaten 65 to guide SRH to a six-wicket win over the five-time champions. After Rickelton’s knock - MI’s highest individual score and fastest IPL century - lifted the hosts to 243/5, SRH produced a collective batting effort to seal the chase with eight balls to spare. It was also the fourth-highest successful run chase in IPL history, on a flat surface that offered little assistance to bowlers.
SRH chased down 244, finishing at 249/4 in 18. 4 overs. Klaasen’s blistering innings included seven fours and four sixes.
Klaasen had officially retired from international cricket on June 2 last year to focus on family time and franchise T20 leagues. Klaasen represented South Africa in 4 Tests, 60 ODIs and 58 T20Is between 2018 and 2025. "South Africa have never won a cricket world cup!