Desert Vipers Head Coach James Foster said the Pakistan international stars have integrated seamlessly into the squad and given it a fantastic boost.Foster was reflecting on the impact that Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan and Shadab Khan had on the line-up as they helped the team to a six-wicket win over the Gulf Giants in Dubai on Wednesday night.And speaking with the Vipers Voices podcast, he said:“They (Pakistan players) bring a lot of energy based on their ability and you get very excited by that.“I thought they were all outstanding in the field, I thought Azam Khan kept beautifully, Shadab was his electric self, and I was really impressed with Shaheen as well. It is the first time I have worked with Shaheen, and I just observed him on the field, and he was fantastic.“They brought their part to the field, but I also thought everyone else brought their part as well. I was really impressed with the twenty overs.”Shaheen stamped his authority on proceedings with an impressive 3 for 22 on his Vipers debut and Foster added: “He (Shaheen) is a world class performer and absolute joy to have him within our set up. Personally, I have not worked with him before, and we have just been messaging over the past few months. I saw him during the World Cup briefly, but to see him operate was really special.”And as a former international wicketkeeper himself, the Vipers Head Coach was delighted at Azam’s contribution with the gloves: “I have seen Azam Khan keep in the PSL (Pakistan Super League) for quite a few years and he is a proper keeper.“He is very agile behind the stumps. Particularly, there was one take when the ball swung after it passed the bat and it went to the centre of his right hand. It was also the way he tidied up around the stumps, the way he was keeping to Shadab, and to Hasaranga. He kept beautifully. He is also a proper batsman and a proper player, and he has fitted into the group so nicely. He is such a great guy.”Foster said he was pleased with the way the team responded in their second game of the tournament after defeat in match one, and he believed that effort against the Giants, a side that beat the Vipers three times in four matches in season one, set the team up nicely ahead of a busy schedule of six games in nine days.“I was really pleased with the way we went about things against the Gulf Giants,” he said. “I can also be pleased with how we performed but it does not necessarily mean we will always win. I thought we did a lot of things well, in particular, the energy in the field was a huge difference to the first game.“For me the real success was the energy and the movement off the ball, the intensity for those twenty overs was a huge difference from the first game, and I am very proud of the team in responding to how we operated in that first game.”Aside from the arrival of the Pakistan players, another key contributor in the victory over the Gulf Giants was Sri Lanka Twenty20 International captain Wanindu Hasaranga.He was frugal with the ball, taking one for 26 and then, pushed up the order by the coaching staff to number four, responded with 42 from only 19 balls to ease any nerves in the chase for victory.Reflecting on that decision to promote the all-rounder, Foster said: “I think Hasaranga is an incredibly under-rated batter and whenever he comes in, he has got his own style.“He is incredibly proactive and always taking the game forward. He has got great touch against the spinners, but also his ability against the seam (is excellent) and he hits the ball in his areas. He is a very impactful batter.“If you look at his stats, in the first ten overs, they are off the charts. So, for me it was a no-brainer (to move him up the order). You look at the information and how he operates so for me it was an easy decision and I was delighted with how he bowled and batted.“He always impacts matches and also do not forget his fielding; he is a quality performer. We are really lucky to have ‘Has’ on the team. And it was a real joy to watch him and Shadab bowl in tandem. (They are) two world-class bowlers, leg spinners, two wonderful fielders, two wonderful batters. That sort of art is such a difficult art and when you have two of them you just plug them in and let them do their thing.”Adam Hose played the role of anchor to perfection against the Gulf Giants, a very different innings from the one he played against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. James Foster said he believed it was precisely that adaptability that made Hose such a valuable player.I am such a big fan of Adam Hose,” he said. “He can enter the line-up at any stage, and if you look at this numbers, he has got great stats right the way through all phases of the game.“I was very confident of having him coming in at number three during the power play. I thought he played a slightly different role, compared with the first game, but the beauty was he played the situation nicely and still had intent. The pitch wasn’t easy to play on, and the way Adam absorbed (pressure) and got a few boundaries towards the end, he assessed and played his role and did a wonderful job.”Commenting on the super-sub rule James Foster said it was an innovation that added a new facet to the game.“The super sub rule makes it very interesting,” he said. “If you have a slightly imbalanced eleven you can get that balance.It keeps you on your toes as a coaching group and as a captain. I personally just enjoy eleven versus eleven, but in a lot of tournaments now the super sub is in, and you work with it and understand who in that moment, keeping the opposition in mind, is going to be the right person to come in.”Looking ahead James Foster said he believed that the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders had an impressive line-up and would be tough opponents:“Abu Dhabi Knight Riders were impressive against us the other day and they have a very impressive roster. I thought they played very well against us.“I would say we were not at our best in that game. For us we have played two games in Dubai and now our next one is in Abu Dhabi, and then we have to work out what the right thing to do is on the day.“I thought the way we played against the Gulf Giants has put us in a really good position for our next game. By just getting a bit more energy and intensity in the field within our group, it had a really good positive knock-on effect.“When we play any team, it is all on the day. What is gone is gone, you can gather the information and use it tactically to do things slightly differently.”The DP World ILT20 got underway in Sharjah on Friday, and the Desert Vipers’ next match is against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, 27 January.Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now on sale and can be purchased via the official DP World ILT20 website or at any Virgin Megastore across the UAE.
Desert Vipers Head Coach James Foster Praises the Positive Effect of the Side’s Pakistan Signings
