The Desert Vipers open their DP World ILT20 campaign on Sunday when they take on the Sharjah Warriors at the Dubai International Stadium; the match starts at 6 pm local time. In an interview to Vipers Voices, Captain Colin Munro said the team was well prepared and excited to put their plans into action.Here are some excerpts from the interview with Colin Munro:Question:Is everyone fit and available?Colin Munro:“As far as I know, yes, everyone is fit and ready to go.”Question:Are you clear on what your top order is going to be?Colin Munro:“Yes very clear, especially for the first few games. We definitely want to give the people at the top of the order the opportunity to go out there and play. We know it is not going to be very easy. We have seen some movement last night in that game and with the smart ball, we saw some swing in the warm up game a couple of nights ago. It is not going to be an easy task up front, the person who gets that chance will get a few games to go out there with Alex Hales, that’s for sure.”Question:Matheesha Pathirana has arrived and was at training today, what are your impressions of him?Colin Munro:He has got a really unique action, and I have played with him in the past at the T10 before he got injured. He has come out today and shown us what he has got and was bowling with some good pace.”Question:Dhruv Parashar has come in as a replacement for the injured Ronak Panoly, you had a chance to chat with him before the nets session, what are your impressions of him, you must be glad to have him on board?Colin Munro:“Yes, every time we get a young UAE player who is keen to learn, and get better, it is very exciting for him and for the team. Not sure where he fits into the puzzle yet, but I faced him today and he has got some good skills, with the ball as an off-spinner, and he has got a little bit of variation. He bats middle to late order, so you never know what can happen later on in the tournament.”Question:What about the atmosphere in the camp, it seems very positive?Colin Munro:“Yes, it is positive and nice and relaxed (mood in the camp). It is like Fozzy (James Foster), and I want it. We are here to play cricket, and to win, but we are also here to have fun along the way too. We do that at training, and we do that away from cricket as well. I think we have got a great little environment at the moment, and we will keep building on it. We have a few things (planned)after game one, to build that team atmosphere and environment a bit more.”Question:You have a large squad, but only eleven can play. What about those that won’t play? That is tough, given the depth and quality you have in the squad?Colin Munro:“ Yes, it is probably the hardest part about being a leader, is letting the boys know they are not going to play. I have been around to a fair few of the boys, and many of them knew already, based on the make-up of the nets session. But I told them that even if they were not playing, same as Ronak, they should make sure they learn from every aspect of how a professional team goes about it (their business). They can take it back, to the Associate cricket (teams) or back to their clubs or wherever they are playing.“Yes, it is tough, we have some world class players who are going to be sitting on the bench, but I am a firm believer that eleven players win the game, on the night but it is the squad and the mentality of the squad that wins championships.”Question:The smart ball seemed to swing quote a bit in your warm up game against the Gulf Giants, what is your impression of the smart ball, and how do you think it will be in this tournament?Colin Munro:“It is a funny one, and I know that Sheldon Cottrell swings the new ball with whatever ball he is playing with, but (even) Tymal Mills swung one (during the practice game), and he said he had not swung the ball in about four or five years. It is exciting for him and for those wanting to see fours and sixes, but if you bring the ball into the game and it does a little bit, (I should not be saying that as a batsman) it brings a bit of parity into the game. We do know the ball has moved a little bit more, and if it does, we just have to adapt to conditions, just like we do at stadiums, and the ball probably plays a part too.Question:What about you? Are you in a happy place? That innings you played in the warm up game was remarkable, 46 in 15 balls. You were hitting it everywhere. Is everything looking good for you?Colin Munro:“Yes, for me it is quite refreshing to come to a tournament and not worry too much about my performance. Obviously, I am here to score runs and win, but a huge part of me being here is for me to captain the squad, and to try and bring the best out of the eleven players, and the other players who are in the squad.So, if I can take the pressure off me, having to score runs all the time, and look after the squad and make sure everyone is happy, then I can go into games nice and fresh and worry about that later on.”
“I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT ELEVEN PLAYERS WIN THE GAME ON THE NIGHT, BUT IT IS THE SQUAD THAT WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.” CAPTAIN COLIN MUNRO BACKS HIS PLAYERS AHEAD OF OPENING MATCH
