‘Just seemed like the right time’ – Wiese retires from international cricket

Namibia allrounder David Wiese said he is retiring from international cricket after their final T20 World Cup 2024 group stage match against England.

After Wiese was dismissed by Jofra Archer in the final over of Namibia’s chase in a rain-curtailed match in North Sound, Archer and other 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 team-mates, including captain Gerhard Erasmus, 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,” 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,” he said. “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.”

Wiese, who usually bats in the middle order, was promoted up the order to No. 3 with Namibia needing to chase 126 in 10 overs. He smashed 27 off 12 with two fours and two sixes before holing out at long-on, as England went on to register a comfortable victory.

“Yeah, he just doesn’t want to open, so probably the next time we can get him in quicker,” Erasmus joked after the game.

“Unfortunately it was his last game, which is a great moment for him to perform like that in his last game,” the Namibia skipper said.

“Massive impact, in terms of the level of cricket he brought to our circle. He’s a great guy on the field in terms of performance but off the field he is someone we have really learned a lot from and he’s inspired us to new heights and greater heights,” Erasmus said.

England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow also praised Wiese after the game.

“I think it’s a huge credit to him the career that he’s had in international cricket and he’s going to be a big miss for those guys and it’s a credit to him how well he’s how well he’s played over such a long period of time,” Bairstow said in the post-match press conference.

Originally from South Africa, he became eligible to play for Namibia five years after his decision to go Kolpak in 2016. He made his debut for Namibia in the first round of the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he played a key role in getting them to the Super 12 stage.

He has played in three consecutive T20 World Cups for Namibia now. Wiese was the standout performer in Namibia’s only win in the 2024 campaign, returning figures of 3 for 28 against Oman before starring with both bat and ball in the Super Over.

He has played 34 T20Is for Namibia, scoring 532 runs and returning 35 wickets. He has also played nine ODIs for them, scoring 228 runs and taking six wickets. In all, he has played 54 T20Is and 15 ODIs.

Wiese could continue playing franchise cricket. In the last 12 months he has played the CSA T20 Challenge, the PSL, SA20, Hundred and the Blast. In the Hundred, he has been retained by Northern Superchargers.