'I'm done for now," David Wiese on his international future

David Wiese may have very well played his last game for Namibia. The 39-year-old has hinted at a possible retirement from international cricket following his side's 41-run defeat at the hands of England in Antigua on June 15 (Saturday).

After playing his trade with South Africa, Wiese made his debut for Namibia in 2021 and has represented them in the 2021, 2022, and 2024 T20 World Cups. The all-rounder says he will continue playing the game for at least another couple of years.

"I mean, next year's 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 after the England clash. 

"Obviously, I 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. 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."

Nikolaas Davin became the first player to retire out in a T20 World Cup game, and Wiese replaced the batter. He made in instant impact, scoring 27 off 12, but England sailed home in the end.

This was the first time Wiese had been involved in something like this, and he said he was a bit taken by surprise.

"That's the first time I've personally been involved in it. I've seen it happen in other games. I think it's only a handful of times that it's happened but, in all fairness, tactically, you can see it happening a bit more in this game as the game moves on and moves forward and tactics come into place, I'm sure you'll see that happen a lot more," Wiese said.

Wiese also believes that the partnership between Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook took the game away from them after Namibia sent back Jos Buttler and Phil Salt early. "I thought Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook played beautifully in the middle," Wiese said. 

"They showed exactly how to play on that type of wicket. It wasn't the easiest of wickets. There was a little bit of spongy bounce, the pitch was a little bit wet and they put together a nice partnership there so that Moeen [Ali] and Livi [Liam Livingstone] can go racking in the end there. So, I thought we would have liked a little bit less but I still feel like we gave it a good go in the end."

Namibia managed to win just one in the T20 World Cup 2024 - their Super Over victory over Oman - before succumbing to losses against Scotland, Australia and England.

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