Namibia might be playing in its first T20 World Cup, but they have seasoned campaigner David Wiese in their ranks and this will hold the Gerhard Erasmus-led side in good stead as the 36-year-old has mastered his craft all around the world and not to forget, he had also represented South Africa in international cricket. Wiese had qualified for Namibia by descent since his father was born in the country. Wiese has experience of playing in a major ICC tournament as he had played for South Africa in the 2016 T20 World Cup held in India.
“Namibia approached me when I had signed Kolpak deal in 2017. My international career was over and I expected to never play international cricket and I had come to terms with that. Namibia approached me, Albie Morkel and Pierre de Bruyn (head coach) asked me will playing for Namibia be something I’ll be interested in? I never thought I’ll ever play international cricket again, so when the opportunity comes around, you would be stupid to not take it. I am thankful to them that they saw value in me,” Wiese told ANI in an interaction organised by the International Cricket Council.
Wiese had shared the dressing room with Virat Kohli during his stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Having seen India skipper from close quarters, the 36-year-old revealed what makes Kohli really tick.
“Virat is just obsessive, he wants to be the best and he would not stop until he is the best and that for me, is his biggest quality. He is probably one of the best in the world but he still wants to improve. He is already a legend of the game but that is not good enough for him. He wants to become better, he has got a passion for the game. In training, he would spend hours and hours, working on different things. He has never been content, he is always looking to improve.”
Talking about AB de Villiers, Wiese said: “AB is successful because he is probably the most talented cricketer that ever has been there. He is hardworking, his success does not come by luck. He puts in hours, his fitness is always good. His success is because of all the hard work he does. That is a recipe for success in most sports and that is something Namibia actually has already.”
