The absence of Klaasen has put his future with the Proteas side in jeopardy.
Cricket South Africa on Monday (April 7) announced the central contracts for the men's national team. Two of the team's leading stars - David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen - were handed hybrid contracts, while wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen’s name didn’t feature in the 18-man list.
The absence of Klaasen, one of the best T20 cricketers in the world, has put his future with the Proteas side in jeopardy. Klaasen was one of the team's top performers in the T20 World Cup last year, and is rated among the finest spin hitters.
While Klaasen was left out of the list, Miller and Van der Dussen were named in freelance contracts and will be participating in selected bilateral series.
Players in South Africa 2025-26 Central Contracts: Temba Bavuma, David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, and Lizaad Williams.
Hybrid Contracts: David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen.
The CSA contracts run till 31 May 2026, just beyond the T20 World Cup, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka, in the months of February and March.
"With the introduction of hybrid contracts, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen will be contracted to participate in specific agreed-upon bilateral tours and ICC events," the CSA release read.
Director of national teams and high performance Enoch Nkwe said that the players have been named keeping the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind.
“I want to congratulate all the players who have been awarded national contracts for the next 12 months, especially the players who have been contracted for the first time. All of these players have been contracted with the importance of the next World Test Championship cycle and the 2027 Cricket World Cup on home soil in mind," he said.
“The hybrid contracts take into consideration the dynamic nature of modern-day cricket and will provide David and Rassie with the opportunity to contribute to the team during specific bilateral tours and ICC events,” he added.
Anrich Nortje, the injury-prone South African fast bowler, was also not picked in the central contracts.