David Wiese keeps up winning ways after swapping Lahore Qalandars 'family' for Namibia


Paul Radley
  • English
  • Arabic

There may have been a few less eyeballs watching, both in person and online. The stakes might have been lower.

But David Wiese said he felt like he had just swapped one family for another after turning out for Namibia in Dubai, a little over a week after winning the Pakistan Super League with Lahore Qalandars.

The all-rounder was returning to play for his father’s home country, on the same field at the ICC Academy in Dubai where he had debuted for them back in October.

The former South Africa international has joined up with the Namibians for their Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series, involving UAE and Oman.

It is his first cricket since helping Qalandars to a maiden PSL title in front of the packed stands of the Gaddafi Stadium in their home city of Lahore.

“It is an amazing achievement,” Wiese said of winning the title against Multan Sultans at the end of last month.

“Traditionally, the Qalandars hadn’t been the best side in the PSL, but we have kept the core of the team together over the past couple of years.

“We knew at one stage it was always going to bear fruit. It just felt like the stars aligned and everything clicked towards the end of the tournament.

“You can’t underestimate how much impact playing in front of a home crowd made. That was amazing, being able to play at home in front of 30,000 supporters again.

“It was an unbelievable experience. I can’t explain how much energy they give you when you play there.”

Initially, Wiese was brought back to reality with a bump, after swapping the green of the Qalandars for the dapper dark blue of Namibia.

He was bowled first ball by a rampant Bilal Khan, the Oman left-arm quick bowler, as Namibia crumbled to 53-7.

Remarkably, though, the African side bounced back from that position to win by 110 runs. First, Gerhard Erasmus salvaged the batting effort with an innings worth 121 not out from 120 balls that was every bit the archetypal captain’s knock.

After he dragged Namibia to 226, the weary Oman batsmen were blown away by a relentless pace attack, with Wiese himself taking 2-22.

While the differences are obvious, Wiese said there are parallels between Qalandars and Namibia, too. Namely, that the close bonds between the players make them fight for each other.

“Because the core seven or eight players have been together for a few years now, it does not just feel like one of those franchise sides where you go in and go out," he said of his PSL team.

“You really get invested in the team there. The management, Sameen [Rana, the Qalandars chief operating officer] and the Rana family are such passionate sport and cricket lovers that they have really created a family vibe there. You want to do well for them the whole time.

“This [Namibia] is on the opposite spectrum. There are only so many people in Namibia. You play against the same club teams the whole time. You train together. In this aspect, you become a close knit unit.

“These guys over the past couple of years have shed blood, sweat and tears together. They have really put in the effort, and that is the bond that grows when you go through the hard times.

“You could see today that everyone was fighting for each other. You could see when [Erasmus] got his hundred, we were all happy for each other’s achievements. It is a great culture to have in the team.”

Erasmus, too, said he was proud of the fight his side had put up – which was most obvious during his stand of 50 for the eighth wicket with Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, and 121 for the ninth with Bernard Scholtz.

“We stayed in the challenge and stayed connected to the game, and I guess if you do that for a long period of time things like today can happen,” Erasmus said. “They were a very important two points for us.”

The series recommences when Namibia face UAE, who lost the opening game by 12 runs against Oman on Saturday, at the ICC Academy on Tuesday.

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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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Brief scores:

Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37

South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62

Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

The Bio

Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959

Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.

He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses

Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas

His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s

Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business

He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery 

Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

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Racecard

5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m

6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m

6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m

7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m

7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m

8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m

8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m

9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m

10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m

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Brief scores

Day 1

Toss England, chose to bat

England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The%20specs
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MATCH INFO

Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)

Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Director: Peyton Reed

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas

Three stars

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder

Transmission: CVT auto

Power: 181bhp

Torque: 244Nm

Price: Dh122,900 

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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ICC Awards for 2021

MEN

Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)

T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)

ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)

Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)

WOMEN

Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)

ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)

T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)

Racecard

6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m  

6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m  

7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m  

7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m  

8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m  

8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m  

9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m   

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Abramovich London

A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.

A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.

Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.

Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.

Updated: March 06, 2022, 3:02 PM