David Wiese latest South African to sign Kolpak deal with Sussex

English county Sussex has confirmed the signing of Proteas all-rounder David Wiese on a three-year Kolpak deal which makes him the latest South African to end his international career. Wiese’s move to sign a Kolpak deal comes just a couple of days after high-profile signings by Hampshire of Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw.

They are expected to join the county league in June and will appear in all formats. Weise who played for the Royal Challengers Banglore in the previous IPL will get a chance to play in the cash-rich league provided he secures another deal after being released by the RCB very recently.

Weise had previously played for Sussex in 2016 where he took 6 wickets in 4 T20 Blast matches but were severely punished and conceded at over 10 an over. South Africa while announcing their T20I team for the series against Sri Lanka revealed that Weise had been an original selection but was withdrawn after confirming his Kolpak deal.

“I would like to thank Cricket South Africa for giving me the opportunity of fulfilling my lifelong dream of representing my country in the sport I love,” Wiese was quoted as saying by the ESPN Cricinfo. “I am very excited to be joining Sussex on a long-term deal. I thoroughly enjoyed my stint with the club last year and it made my decision so much easier when offered to return. Sussex is an extremely ambitious club and I look forward to being part of their future.”

Also read: Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw quit SA cricket to sign Kolpak deals

Weise appeared in 26 T20Is for South Africa with career best figures of 5/23 and has been a regular feature in the shortest format. He has been an integral part of T20 teams but at 31 and with innumerable young talents coming through an internal career was highly unlikely.

The head coach of Sussex, Mark Davis was very pleased to have Wiese in the team and said being an experienced T20 player will help Sussex immensely. “We are thrilled to have David joining us at Sussex,” Mark Davis, the head coach, said. “He is an extremely accomplished all-round cricketer who is effective in all formats and will bring great experience and skill to our group.

“He will add significantly to our white-ball team with his bowling and powerful batting at the death and has already shown his potential last season in the longer format. His experience will be invaluable to our young developing team.”