David Wiese, a Namibian cricketer who was born in South Africa and now plays in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), has praised the Lahore Qalandars for their work to find and train new cricket players.
Wiese told reporters at the Lahore Qalandars practise that his team has one of the best bowling attacks in the league and that he is looking forward to a good season.
Lahore Qalandars’ bowling attack is one of the best in the PSL in 2023.
“I’m glad to be back! This is my fifth year with Qalandars, and I’m looking forward to it. So, I’ve come here to play, and I’ve enjoyed my time here and with the team. Coming back as the defending champions is a bit different for us, though.
“We’re the team that everyone is after, and now we’re a target. So I hope we can put in a couple more good performances and put ourselves in a good position going into the last part of the tournament,” said the all-rounder who has played for both South Africa and Namibia.
The all-rounder said that bowling is Qalandars’ strength and one of the strongest attacks in the world when talking about their bowling attack.
“Our bowling attack, especially the death bowling, has been one of our strengths over the years. The other night, we saw again how Shaheen [Shah Afridi] and Zaman [Khan] used their skills in the game’s final overs to help us win. So, we have one of the best bowling attacks, and the addition of Rashid Khan makes it even better. So, I think we have everything we need for this season,” he said.
Wiese played one game for Karachi Kings in 2017 before moving to Lahore Qalandars in 2018. Since then, he has not moved to any other franchise.
Before PSL, he had played in one season of IPL and one season of CPL. He feels that Qalandars gave him the chance to play when he wasn’t in too many leagues.
Weise got contracts with BPL, Mzansi Super League, and SLPL after his time with Qalandars in 2018.
“Lahore was the team that gave me a chance when I wasn’t playing in many leagues. they helped me, and I’m glad to say that I’ve done well for them. I’ve done well with, and it’s a team that has always had faith in me and helped me. “I’m glad you did that,” he said.
“Qalandars have always been big on talent development. “We see that with the PDP programmes they have. Guys like Haris Rauf, who went through the talent development programme, show that there’s a lot of talent out there, and Qalandars have been able to find it,” the Namibian cricketer said.
On February 19, Qalandars will play Karachi Kings in Karachi. Wiese said that the game between two big cities will be exciting.
“At first, we didn’t do well against them, but in the last few years, we’ve done well against them,” he said.
He also said that Shaheen, the young captain of the Qalandars, has a good cricket mind.
“In terms of strategy, he backs himself and his gut, and most of the time he gets a look. Last season, I think everyone was surprised by how good of a captain he was. Shaheen’s willingness to ask people for advice is another thing that stands out to me about him. He isn’t afraid to talk to other people and find out what they think. Then he thinks about what they say and makes his own decision. That’s what makes a good captain and a good leader,” he said.