International career
David Wiese, a cricketer born in South Africa, played internationally for Namibia. His journey in the cricket world is filled with achievements. Here's a year-by-year summary of his international career:
- 2013: He debuted for South Africa in a T20I match against Sri Lanka on August 2.
- 2015: He made his One Day International (ODI) debut for South Africa against New Zealand on August 19.
- 2016: Wiese played in the ICC World Twenty20, where South Africa got eliminated in the Super 10s.
- 2017: He signed a Kolpak deal with Sussex, which made him ineligible to play for South Africa.
- 2021: Wiese became available to play for Namibia in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He played his first match for Namibia on October 5 against the United Arab Emirates.
- 2021: Wiese helped Namibia win against the Netherlands in the World Cup by scoring an unbeaten 66 runs off 40 balls and taking 1/32 in 4 overs. His performance earned him the man-of-the-match award.
- 2022: He played his first ODI for Namibia against Oman on March 6, becoming the 15th player to represent two teams in ODIs.
- 2024: Wiese was named in Namibia’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He retired from international cricket on June 15, 2024, after playing an important knock of 27 runs off 12 balls in a match against England.
Leagues Participation
David Wiese has played in several cricket leagues around the world. Here is a look at his time in major tournaments:
Caribbean Premier League
David Wiese played his first match in the Caribbean Premier League on July 18, 2015, with the Guyana Amazon Warriors against the Barbados Tridents. He later played for the Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, and St Lucia Kings. In 2024, he teamed up with Khary Pierre for a relay catch in a game between the St Lucia Kings and Guyana Amazon Warriors.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2015
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Guyana Amazon Warriors
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Debut match against Barbados Tridents
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2024
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St Lucia Kings
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Relay catch with Khary Pierre
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Lanka Premier League
David Wiese joined the Colombo Stars in December 2021, replacing Haris Sohail. He played one match before leaving the tournament for personal reasons.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2021
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Colombo Stars
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Played one match, left for personal reasons
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Pakistan Super League
David Wiese joined Lahore Qalandars in 2019 as a late replacement for Carlos Brathwaite. He became an important player for the team. In 2023, he helped Lahore Qalandars win the PSL by taking 9 wickets and playing 13 matches.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2019
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Lahore Qalandars
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Replaced Carlos Brathwaite
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2023
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Lahore Qalandars
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Won PSL, took 9 wickets in 13 matches
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Mzansi Super League
David Wiese played for the Tshwane Spartans in the 2019 Mzansi Super League. He helped the team reach the final by scoring 31 runs and taking 3 wickets in a match against the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants. His debut was on December 13, 2019.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2019
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Tshwane Spartans
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Scored 31 runs and took 3 wickets in qualifier
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Indian Premier League
David Wiese was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2015 IPL auction. He impressed in his debut match with 4 wickets and 47 runs. After some time, he returned to the IPL in 2023 with Kolkata Knight Riders, becoming the first Namibian player in the IPL. He played 3 matches that season.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2015
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Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Debut, 4 wickets, 47 runs
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2023
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Kolkata Knight Riders
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First Namibian in IPL, played 3 matches
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Domestic career
David Wiese started his domestic career at 20 with Easterns in the 2005-06 SAA Provincial Challenge against Northerns. His first-class debut was tough as he didn’t score and didn’t take wickets. Easterns lost by 8 wickets. A few days later, he played his List-A debut and took a wicket while scoring 45 runs before being run out.
Wiese made his T20 debut for the Titans in 2008 in the Standard Bank Pro20 Series. He didn't bowl in the match but was unbeaten on 4 runs. He played for Sussex in the T20 Blast, taking a five-wicket haul in 2018. In 2020, he scored his highest score of 79 off 46 balls in the T20 Blast. He joined Yorkshire in 2023, scoring a half-century and taking 11 wickets.
Wiese also played for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred and scored two half-centuries. In the Pakistan Super League, he played for Lahore Qalandars after his time with Karachi Kings. He has scored 629 runs and taken 38 wickets in 53 games. After retiring from international cricket, Wiese continued his career in the Caribbean Premier League with St. Lucia Kings. His best bowling figures in the CPL were 5/25 against Barbados Royals in 2021.
Other Leagues
David Wiese played in different global and regional leagues during his career. In 2016, he joined Sussex County Cricket Club for the T20 Blast as an overseas player. The next year, in 2017, he became a regular player after signing a three-year Kolpak deal. When his Kolpak registration ended in 2020 due to the UK's exit from the EU, he continued with Sussex as an overseas player for the 2021 T20 Blast.
Records and achievements
David Wiese has achieved a lot in his cricket career. Here are some of his key records:
- 2015: Became the fifteenth cricketer to play for two different nations in ODIs.
- 2015: First Namibian to get an IPL contract.
- 2015: First Namibian to play in the IPL.
- 2021: Became the fourth-oldest player to win the ‘Player of the Match’ award in ICC T20 World Cups.
Personal life
David Wiese was born in Roodepoort, South Africa, but his family comes from Namibia. He grew up in the eastern Mpumalanga Province and spent his early years in Standerton. David went to high school in Witbank, a town known for coal mining. He started playing cricket at nine and trained at a cricket institute run by South African coach Harry Shapiro. He first liked spin bowling but switched to pace bowling as he grew taller.
David wanted to play cricket, but his parents encouraged him to focus on his studies. He went to the University of Pretoria and studied internal auditing while occasionally playing cricket for the university’s third team.
Finance
As of 2024, David Wiese’s net worth is $27.8 million.
Family
David Wiese is married to Chené Wiese. She is a professional dancer and the owner of CW Professional Make-up Artistry. They married on April 11, 2015, in Mulderdrift, Johannesberg. The couple has two daughters, Novah and Kaiah. They celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary in 2022. David often posts about his love for his wife on social media.
Cars and House
During the ICC T20 World Cup African Qualifiers, Cricket Namibia’s sponsor, Pupkewitz Toyota, gave David Wiese a Toyota Fortuner.
Scandals
In 2024, David Wiese spoke out against the style of Kolkata Knight Riders’ head coach Chandrakant Pandit. He said foreign players did not like being told how to behave and what to wear. David also criticized some locker room traditions, like smearing cake on people's faces during birthdays, which he found annoying.
Fans
After Namibia did not qualify for the main stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup, fans on social media showed their support for David Wiese. He has a large following, with almost 300,000 followers on Instagram.
