3 best David Wiese moments in international cricket
David Wiese has announced his retirement from international career. In a post-match press conference after the match against England, the Namibian all-rounder stated:
"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."
Wiese has the distinction of playing international cricket for both South Africa and Namibia. He played for South Africa until 2016 post which he went to Kopak. He made his debut for Namibia in 2021 and has not looked back since.
Overall, the 39-year-old has played 69 international matches, scoring 954 runs and picking up 74 wickets across ODIs and T20Is.
On that note, here is a look at the three best David Wiese moments in international cricket:
#1 66* against Netherlands in T20 World Cup 2021
Namibia won their first-ever game against Netherlands during the T20 World Cup 2021 and Wiese was one of the architects of the said win.
Batting first in a group match in Abu Dhabi, Netherlands posted 164 runs. A target of 165 was a tricky one for Namibia because they had not beaten the Netherlands in the past.
Namibia lost three wickets for 52 runs when Wiese walked out to bat. He added 93 runs for the fourth wicket with Gerhard Erasmus before the latter was dismissed.
The all-rounder smashed 66 runs from just 40 balls including five maximums and guided his team to a historic win, their first ever in a T20 World Cup.
#2 Five-wicket haul against West Indies in a T20I
Only a few cricketers have the distinction of picking up five wickets in a T20I and Wiese is one of them.
In a T20I against West Indies at Kingsmead in Durban on January 14, 2015, Wiese playing for South Africa was at his lethal best with the ball and picked up five wickets in four overs.
His victims include Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo, Daren Sammy, and Carlos Brathwaite. Riding on his impressive bowling performances, West Indies were bundled out for just 126 while chasing a target of 196. The said five-wicket haul was the only occasion when Wiese picked up five wickets in an innings in a T20I game.
#3 All-round performance against Oman in T20 World Cup 2024
David Wiese shone both with the bat and the ball to hand Namibia their first and only win in the T20 World Cup 2024.
In a group encounter against Oman at Barbados on June 2, 2024, Wiese bowled the right lines and lengths, picking up three wickets for 28 runs in 3.4 overs and bowled out Oman for 109.
Namibia too scored 109 and the game had to be decided by way of a Super Over.
On a wicket where the batters from both teams struggled to score runs, Wiese smashed 13 runs from four balls and guided Namibia to a score of 21 in the Super Over. Thereafter, he took on the responsibility of defending the said score with the ball and conceded only 10 runs with the ball, leading his team to win.
His heroics both with the ball and the ball earned him the Man of the Match award.