Namibia's all-rounder David Wiese announced retirement from international cricket after playing the final group match of the T20 World Cup against England on Saturday.
The South African-Namibian player ended his career after playing 54 T20 Internationals and 15 one-day internationals (ODIs) in total.
Wiese, who is a middle-order batter, was sent at number three in his last match against England to chase 126 within 10 overs. He scored 27 of 12 deliveries with two fours and two sixes.
However, he was later dismissed by England's Jofra Archer at 84-3 in the last over of the second innings.
Following his dismissal, the 39-year-old raised his helmet and bat to the crowd as he walked off before being greeted by his teammates.
The must-win match for England was reduced to 10 overs after heavy showers. Namibia were given a rain-adjusted target of 126, but were defeated by 41 runs.
'Seemed like the right time': Wiese
Speaking about his retirement in the post-match press conference, Weise said: "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."
"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, just seemed like the right time," Wiese said.
Wiese brought 'massive impact'
Following Wiese's announcement to retire from international cricket, wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow and Namibian skipper Gerhard Erasmus discussed their experience with him.
"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.
"I think it's a huge credit to him for 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 for how well he's played over such a long period of time," Bairstow said in the post-match press conference.
Wiese played his debut match for Namibia back in the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he played so well that he led his team to the Super-12 stage. He has played 34 T20Is for Namibia, scored 532 runs, and bagged 35 wickets, as well as played nine ODIs for the team, scoring 228 runs and taking six wickets.
- David Wiese
