Dubai, UAE (January 24, 2025) – Desert Vipers Head Coach James Foster has congratulated Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and West Indies middle-order batter Sherfane Rutherford for their inclusion in the ICC One-Day International (ODI) Team of the year.
“It really does fill me with a huge amount of pride that these two wonderful players who are a part of our franchise here and have been an integral part over the last two-and-a-half seasons (have been included in the ICC ODI team of the year),” said Foster.
“It is great to see because we know they are world-class players, but they are also world-class individuals. And for me, and as a franchise, it is not necessarily just what they do on the field, it is also off the field.
“I know their numbers have been incredible in 2024, hence the reason they have been named in the Team of the Year. But it is also their presence around the group and passing on their knowledge with their humour as well. Chuck that into a pot and it has been great to see.”
Both Sherfane and Wanindu have been part of the Vipers set-up since the inaugural season of the DP World ILT20.
Speaking about Sherfane Rutherford, James Foster said he was in awe of the player’s efforts.
“It is often some of the toughest times to bat (in the middle order),” he said. “You are having to adapt to what has happened in front of you already. Sometimes you have got to play the situation where you are going to have to be very smart and maybe the team are not at a score that you are hoping for, or the score is going well and you have to press the accelerator really quickly to continue that.
“He has been phenomenal for us since the DP World ILT20 got going. The thing you sometimes do not realise about ‘Rudds’ is his attention to detail, the amount of cricket that he watches and his leadership as well around the group and the knowledge he is passing on.
He speaks really well and whenever he speaks, people listen.
“So, I am absolutely delighted for Sherfane to get into that format (ODIs) and make such a big impact. Some of the innings he has played for us, and also the West Indies in that slightly longer format, have been so destructive.
“I remember a match, I know it wasn't in the 50-over format, but in the T20 World Cup. I was a part (of the coaching staff) of the New Zealand side that played against West Indies. The sides were playing on a really difficult pitch in Trinidad and Tobago and the West Indies were in a real pickle.
“New Zealand bowled first and ‘Rudds’ went in at five or six and he was player of the match. He played one of the best innings I have seen because the pitch was so difficult. He was incredibly smart, but then also brutal in the same breath.”
Speaking of Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga, James Foster said he was a central to the Desert Vipers success and it was no surprise he was included in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year.
“We are so lucky to have him with us at the Vipers and, as with everyone who plays for the Vipers, we obviously follow his career,” said Foster.
“The impressive piece is his consistency year after year, bringing in the sort of numbers and performances he produces that can actually go unrecognised in a way, because you think, ‘Ah, this is ‘Wani’, he does this thing, he is the best.’
“To still have the hunger and the desire to put in those types of performances that have earned him selection is super impressive. And he has such an important role for our side (in the batting department) as well.
“We have used him a lot over the last couple of years higher up the (batting) order because we feel he has got such a good game. And the beauty about ‘Wani’ is he can go up the top of the order, but he is also a very effective player lower down (the order). So, he really is the ultimate all-rounder.
“And let us not forget about his fielding. Those sort of things are not probably equated sometimes in the (ICC ODI) Team of the Year, but like we see first-hand, year after year here, the impact he has, the amount of run-outs he gets with direct hits or some incredible catching. And that sort of his ability and his skill in the field really lifts us as a side.”
Speaking about the Desert Vipers’ performances in season three of the DP World ILT20 so far, Foster said the team was aspiring for excellence and the success the team has enjoyed so far was a collective effort both on and off the field.
“We have got a really good group. Our squad of players are obviously very talented, super talented, but they are also a team of individuals who give to the team. And that is the ideal scenario when coaching a group of players in a franchise team that is together for around about a month.
“But with this franchise, it is not just about the players and the coaching staff. It is about the bigger picture and everything that the franchise do.
“People can say, ‘Oh, you are sitting here with a microphone and you are talking about a franchise that you work for so you are bound to say some positive things.’ But it really is a brilliant franchise. They (the management) are so detailed. They are really thoughtful. It is a really slick operation.”
Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now available here.
Desert Vipers’ sustainable line of clothing from PALMFIT is now available via our online shop: https://shop.thedesertvipers.com
