David Wiese retires from international cricket

Namibia allrounder David Wiese said he is retiring from international cricket following his side’s loss against England in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

In his last match of T20 World Cup 2024, the veteran all-rounder bagged one wicket and scored a blistering 27 off 12 deliveries, featuring two boundaries and two sixes. However, he could not get his team across the line as Namibia lost the 10-over clash by 41 runs.

After Wiese was dismissed by Jofra Archer in the final over, England players walked over to shake his hand. He then raised his helmet and bat to the crowd as he walked off before being greeted by his teammates at the dugout.

“I mean, [the next] T20 World Cup is still two years away, I’m 39 years old now, so, in terms of international cricket, I don’t know if there’s much left in me,” David Wiese said in the post-match press conference.

“Obviously, I [would] still like to play the game for a couple more years, I feel like I’ve still got a lot to contribute and a lot to play.

“But I just feel like what better place to end a special career for me personally with Namibia. I’ve had a lot of good times with them and to play my last game for them possibly at a World Cup against a world-class team like England, it just seemed like the right time.”

Weise started his international career with South Africa during a T20I against Sri Lanka in 2013.

He represented South Africa in white-ball cricket from 2013 to 2016 before making himself unavailable to play county cricket for the English county Sussex.

He was also part of South Africa’s squad in T20 World Cup 2016 in India, where the Proteas were knocked out in the Super 10 stage.

He played 20 T20Is and six ODIs for South Africa, scoring a total of 194 runs and taking 33 wickets across both formats.

Following a five-year break, he returned to international cricket after being selected in Namibia’s squad ahead of their first-ever T20 World Cup campaign in 2021.

The pace-bowling all-rounder played his first game for Namibia against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup.

The marquee event, jointly hosted by the UAE and Oman, witnessed the resurgence of David Wiese as he led Namibia to their first victory in the tournament against the Netherlands.

He helped his side chase a 165-run target with an unbeaten 66 off 40.

The veteran all-rounder had a brilliant tournament as he finished as the sixth-highest run-scorer with 227 runs from eight games, including an unbeaten 43 in a losing cause against Pakistan. He also picked six wickets.

He remained an integral part of the Namibian side since then, playing nine ODI and 34 T20I matches for the country. He scored 760 runs across two formats and picked 41 wickets.