ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

October 20, 2021

David Wiese

Sheikh Zayed Stadium

Namibia

Post Match Media Conference

Q. David, well batted. I guess you came in at quite a precarious situation there, I think 50-odd for three, and it looked like pace of the ball was really the weapon. Can you just talk us through how you approached that innings and especially those next three or four overs where you guys scored about 50 runs and just took the game away.

DAVID WIESE: When we got in there, we were a little bit behind the eight ball, and the momentum was with them. We had to take a bit of a punt there to get one or two big overs to try and get the win. Lucky for us it paid off.

We decided to take it down with the wind type play, but smart in that aspect, and it just worked out for us today.

Q. What's the secret of your consistency, especially in this format? You're the most wanted person in almost all leagues.

DAVID WIESE: I think I wouldn't say consistency. It's been a bit of a lean patch lately. That's why this was a little bit more special for me today.

It's just about putting in the hard work. Like Steph said, on any day, anyone can take the game away. If you can be the guy that consistently goes and puts in those match-winning performances, you're always going to be in high demand for those leagues. I've been around a little bit. I've played in a lot of leagues now and got a bit of experience behind my name, and I'd like to think that counts a little bit more in these situations.

Like I said, on any other day, it could have gone a different way. Just thankfully for me it went my way today.

Q. How important is this victory from the country's point of view and the cricketer in you?

DAVID WIESE: It's massive. It's the first ever win for Namibia in the T20 World Cup. It's a proud nation. Namibia is a passionate nation. They love sport there. To be able to give this one back to the fans, especially after our subpar performance against Sri Lanka the other night, just to come back in a performance like this and still keep our hopes up in the tournament.

We've got one more game left against Ireland. If we can pull off a win over there, we could find ourself in the next stage of the tournament, which would be absolutely amazing for Namibia cricket.

Q. You performed here with Lahore Qalanders, so how do you adapt to this wicket and keep scoring?

DAVID WIESE: I think it's a wicket where you need to take your time a little bit more to get in just to get used to the pace. It skids a little bit more. Most of the wickets in the UAE does skid through a little bit more.

It's a little more difficult to start off quite quickly. So you've just got to take a little bit of that pressure and give yourself a bit of time and know that the boundaries, the ball flies over your head, there's always a wind that's pushing towards the boundary. Once you take your time and you get in, you can always catch up towards the end.

Q. David, you mentioned it being Namibia's first win, and obviously you're quite new to the setup but not new to cricket. Can you tell us about your experience being in this setup, and what does it mean to the work you guys have put in in what's been quite a long season?

DAVID WIESE: It's massive just for the belief of the team to know they do belong in a stage like this. They've put in a lot of hard work the last two, three years. If you look at where Namibia cricket was three years ago, they never would have dreamed being in a World Cup, let alone World Cup matches.

It's just a combination of a lot of hard work from the players, the coaching staff, Pierre De Bruyn. They bleed cricket. They're passionate people. It's a lot of hard work that's gone behind the scenes of the past two, three years. Everybody deserves where they are at the moment. It's just all the hard work and effort that they've put in long hours in the hot sun in Namibia.

I'm just happy for everyone to be able to get the win for them.

Q. Just expanding on the same question, it's the first World Cup win for Namibia. Has there been any talk about it at all over the last couple of days? Is there going to be any celebration?

DAVID WIESE: No. To be honest with you, we were bitterly disappointed the other night with our performance, but in saying that, it was the first time that a lot of the Namibian players have played against a full test nation. So on a big stage like that, that could have always happened.

Afterwards we had some good, honest conversations, and the thing is that the guys believe that we're good enough to be -- we've got top quality players, so we're under no illusion that -- well, it's going to be tough for us coming in, but there's a lot of belief in the team. Come Friday against Ireland, if we can put in one more big performance, we could find ourselves in the next part of the tournament.

Q. Hi, David. Well batted. We spoke before the tournament about your parents and your dad in particular and how pleased he was that you'd be representing Namibia. Where would they have been watching from today?

DAVID WIESE: Hopefully, they're watching from home in Pretoria, and they're still based over there. I'm sure they'll be very proud of this moment. They've supported me throughout my career. They've given me all the opportunities that I needed to be in this situation now. So I hope that I've made them proud, and all the hard work and effort that they've put in over the years to support me. Yeah, I just hope that I've made them glad.

Q. I'm sure you have. Just in terms of your career so far, you're saying about how special it is to be back into international cricket. How does that rank in any innings as far as your career goes so far?

DAVID WIESE: It's definitely up there in terms of just it's always nice to see it through to the end to make sure you get your team over the line. Like I said, leading into the tournament, it's my first tournament playing for Namibia, so you always want to make a good impression and show the guys and prove your worth.

It's been a bit of a lean patch for me leading into this tournament, so I'm just happy to be able to contribute to the team today and get it over the line and get the win for the team.