The Desert Vipers have confirmed their final squad for the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL), with USA top-order batter Saiteja Mukkamalla replacing the UAE’s Khuzaima bin Tanveer, who has been called up for national duty, and West Indies left-arm spinner Vitel Lawes coming in for injured New Zealand batting all-rounder Daryl Mitchell.
The Vipers have made several squad changes in recent weeks because of injury and player unavailability, but in-form top-order batter Andries Gous of the USA believes they are well placed to manage the changes in personnel. Speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast, Gous said: “I think the replacements we have got are very capable of doing the job.
“Obviously, Chris Green (who was named as captain but was ruled out because of a hand injury sustained last month) is going to be a massive miss; him and Daryl Mitchell are going to be big misses for us. But Shadab coming in (to the role of captain in place of Chris Green) and even Rilee Rossouw coming in will be great. Rilee is a world-class batter and I think he has shown across the world what he can do.
“And then Saiteja (Mukkamalla) coming late into this team is great, I reckon he is probably one of the best batters in the United States (U.S.) at the moment. He has got an unbelievably bright future ahead of him and I am really looking forward to seeing him bat outside of the U.S. on tough wickets to try and challenge himself. And I think he is very much capable of performing well.
“So no, I think even though there have been changes, I still feel we have got a really good squad. There is a lot of depth and a lot of options to be used, so I think we will be okay.”
The Desert Vipers will be the last team to begin their tournament campaign, facing the Lahore Qalandars on July 24, the second day of the competition. By then, the Qalandars will already have played their opening match, against the Perth Scorchers on July 23.
Gous said he believed the opportunity to assess the conditions and watch how the other teams performed could work in the Vipers’ favour.
“I think it is an advantage because we can really try and get our combinations right from the start,” he said. “Since it is such a short tournament, there is not really much time to go into a game being unsure of what we want to do.
“We have got to go in and stick with it (the plan). So at least now, when we look at how the morning game is going to play (on 23 July), we will know what to expect. And because the day games are going to be quite similar, I do not think the wicket will be better or worse.
“It will be the same. So at least we will know what to expect and then we can plan our team accordingly.”
Andries Gous enters the tournament in outstanding form, having finished as the leading run-scorer in Major League Cricket (MLC), where his team, Washington Freedom, ended as runners-up. He played a key role in a remarkable run chase against MI New York in Eliminator 1, scoring 132 as Washington successfully chased 267 to win with eight balls to spare.
While Gous said his form would be an advantage, he did not expect much else from the MLC to carry over into the GSL.
“We (as batters) will still be starting on nought, but I think I will be more confident because of the fact that I am seeing the ball well.
“But I think you cannot take too much out of it, as it is a brand new tournament. A lot of new things can happen and Guyana is a tough place to bat. It is really hard work. So the mindset has to be completely different than what it was in MLC. It requires a little bit more grafting and a little bit more thinking out of the box here.
“In MLC, you could just see the ball and try and hit the ball in some of the stadiums and then in others you had to plan a little bit.
“But in Guyana, definitely you have to really take your time and when you can capitalise, you have to (really) capitalise. And otherwise you just got to keep playing the game for as long as you can.
“So it is going to be interesting how the wicket is going to play since there were a few One-Day Internationals (West Indies played three matches at Providence Stadium against New Zealand earlier this month) played on here as well. So I think it is going to be very interesting, especially the day games, and it is going to be tough.”
Gous, though, said he was confident the Vipers would put on a good show in Guyana:
“I am pretty confident that we can do something special here. I think we have really got some big match players in our team. In Guyana you just need a few players to step up.
“And if one guy really has a good game, you can completely turn the game around. So it is just who wants it more right now. But I do feel we have got some really big names in our team that like the occasion, that like when it is tough, and they like the grind.
“So we will just have to wait and see. But I think we will be pretty good.”
Gous said he was proud to support the Desert Vipers’ sustainability campaign during the GSL, including the BioBlitz, which will involve the local community documenting local species and plants to raise awareness of declining global wildlife populations and reinforce the message that there is no cricket without nature.
“It is always great when you are part of something like this. The initiative is (about) trying to do all we can to make the world more sustainable and all these things. I think it is obviously a great initiative.
“It is good to be part of it. It is more about awareness that everybody needs to hear. Once everybody is aware we can plan better and we can make better decisions and at the end of the day then the world will be better for it.
“I think it is awesome that, just like we did at the (DP World) ILT20, that the Vipers have taken this initiative and are trying to make the world a better place. And I am just happy to be part of it.”
Here is a list of players who will represent the Desert Vipers at the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League:
Shadab Khan (PAK) Captain
Bevon Jacobs (NZ)
Nathan Smith (NZ)
Rilee Rossouw (SAF)
Vriitya Aravind (UAE)
Saiteja Mukkamalla (USA) replaces Khuzaima Bin Tanveer (UAE)
Matiullah Khan (UAE)
Sanjay Pahal (UAE)
Andries Gous (USA)
Vitel Lawes (WI) replaces Daryl Mitchell (NZ)
Kyle Mayers (WI)
Khary Pierre (WI)
Ramon Simmonds (WI)
Zachary Carter (WI)
