T20 World Cup 2021: "Even before I got selected for South Africa, I'd had conversations with Cricket Namibia" - David Wiese
South Africa-born all-rounder David Wiese is all set to represent Namibia in the T20 World Cup 2021.
The 36-year-old recently disclosed that he has strong links to Namibia as it is his father's birth country. In a conversation with the BBC, Wiese mentioned that he was in talks with Namibia prior to his international debut with the South African cricket team in 2013.
Great first few days at the build up to our World T20 campaign. Really honoured and grateful to have made my T20I debut for @CricketNamibia1 🦅🦅
@Newbery_Cricket https://t.co/MCeUaKzuZJ
Interestingly, the player was part of the Proteas team in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup. Wiese pointed out that conversations with Namibia head coach Pierre de Bruyn and assistant coach Albie Morkel had a major role to play in him joining hands with the associate nation. He stated that he was grateful for the new opportunity.
"My family comes from Namibia. My dad was born there and I still have family there, so my ties are quite deep. Even before I got selected for South Africa, I'd had conversations with Cricket Namibia. I had some good conversations with coaches Pierre de Bruyn and Albie Morkel, who I know quite well. I felt so fortunate and grateful," said Wiese.
While Wiese failed to carve a niche for himself in South Africa's white-ball teams, he has made a name for himself by playing in franchise-based T20 leagues globally. Notably, he had also secured a three-year Kolpak deal with county team Sussex, which was later terminated post-Brexit.
Can wait to start my journey with @CricketNamibia1 #Eaglespride twitter.com/CricketNamibia…
Take a look at today's ongoing T20 World Cup live score & match list here.
"That is more important in my eyes than me playing against South Africa" - David Wiese wants Namibia to shed the underdogs tag
Wiese added that if Namibia do well and advance to the Super 12's, it could prove to be a game-changer for the team.
"The big win would be for Namibia cricket and for them to no longer be seen as an underdog, one of the lesser played teams in Africa. That is more important in my eyes than me playing against South Africa," he added.
He also feels performing at the ICC event could benefit the team members as some of them could then get an opportunity in some of the global T20 leagues.
Namibia are placed in Group A alongside the Netherlands, Ireland and Sri Lanka. They are slated to open their campaign on Monday, October 18, with a clash against Sri Lanka at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.