Former South African player David Wiese will now ply his trade for Namibia in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Wiese hadn’t played international cricket since March of last year. He turned down a call-up for a home T20 series against Sri Lanka in order to complete the Kolpak deal. The allrounder was part of a rapid exodus of South African players to county cricket during the 2016/17 season. He signed a three-year contract with Sussex at the age of 31.
He could not play for South Africa after signing with Sussex. Wiese then announced his retirement from the Proteas in 2017.
He is now all set to feature for the Namibia cricket team for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Wiese’s father was Nambian-born which qualifies the allrounder to feature for the country.
Namibia’s head coach Pierre de Bruyn stated that Wiese can play for the country and is expected to join for a Free State trip.
“David’s dad was born here, so he’s eligible to play for Namibia. He’s playing in the T20 Blast in England, but will join us after that and is also available going forward after the World Cup, so I’m super excited about that. His team, Sussex are in the quarterfinals so we must see how far he gets there, but I hope he will be able to join for the Free State trip at least,” said Pierre De Bruyn.
How has David Wiese performed so far in his professional career
David Wiese is a commanding allrounder with the ability to take pace off the ball and hit powerful lofted shots. He was a high achiever who made a name for himself in shorter forms. The allrounder began his career at Easterns before becoming a mainstay at the provincial union and the Titans club in 2005.
He was selected for the 2013 Sri Lanka series and played in three T20Is. However, poor results sent him back into the local system.
Wiese’s 2014-15 summer was one of his best, with strong performances in the Titans’ One-Day Cup victory helping him secure a more regular spot in South Africa’s T20I team. His career-best 5 for 23 against the West Indies in 2015 demonstrated his ability to bowl cutters and slower balls. Royal Challengers Bangalore then signed him ahead of IPL 2015.
He competed in the World T20 in 2016, but after failing to secure a berth, he took the Kolpak route.
