T10 format best to promote cricket globally, says Namibia's Wiese

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Namibia all-rounder David Wiese, who has scored over 2,900 runs and taken over 200 wickets in T20 cricket, expressed during a virtual media conference on Thursday that the Deccan Gladiators stand a good chance of winning the Abu Dhabi T10, which is set to begin on Nov.19.

Namibia are enjoying a fairy-tale run at the World Cup. They qualified for the Super 12 and stunned Scotland to notch up the first victory at the biggest stage of the game.

"We've got a well-balanced squad and we've got all our bases covered. And a lot of the players are playing in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the moment. I think we stand a good chance and if we can just go and play good cricket on the day, then anything can happen," said the all-rounder.

Wiese further added that the T10 format could be utilized to promote the game of cricket globally, "I think the Abu Dhabi T10 is a fantastic tournament to be involved in. You've got to upskill yourself as a player in T10.

“And I feel that the T10 format is a great opportunity to take the game to nations, where the game of cricket is just starting out. It's a great format to get people interested in the game and get the excitement going around the game."

When asked if a player can apply his T10 skills in T20 cricket, the all-rounder said, "One can take a lot of skills from the T10 game and apply them in T20 cricket. Bowling the death overs in T20 is basically the same as bowling in an entire innings in T10.

“You have to nail your yorkers and try to avoid getting hit for boundaries in T10 cricket and you can try and adopt the same thing in T20 cricket as well."
Wiese also spoke about the best all-rounders in T20 cricket according to him.

"In terms of T20 cricket, Andre Russell is one of the best all-rounders simply because he is a match-winner. He can take the game away from you with bat and ball. He is such a dangerous player.

“And Shakib Al Hasan is also one of the best all-rounders in the world. He is a quality batter and a bowler and he has been a fantastic player for Bangladesh for a number of years," said the all-rounder.