Head Coach James Foster has confirmed that New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson will continue to lead the Desert Vipers in season four of the DP World ILT20.
Foster made the announcement when he spoke to the Vipers Voices podcast about player retentions and the strategy ahead of the first-ever player auction at the DP World ILT20.
The team has retained seven players for season four – Ferguson, plus all-rounders Dan Lawrence and Sam Curran, batter Max Holden, left-arm death-bowling specialist David Payne, leg-spinning all-rounder from Sri Lanka Wanindu Hasaranga and UAE fast bowler Khuzaima Bin Tanveer.
And explaining the strategy behind those retentions, James Foster said: “It has been a brilliant last three seasons and what is important to us is trying to keep a core of players and we wanted to do that again.
“But you can only retain or direct (sic) sign ‘X’ number of players within a certain salary cap. So our hands were tied in that respect.”
The coach added that the decision to retain Lockie Ferguson as captain was an easy one:
“Lockie (Ferguson) was fantastic for us this year for the season just gone. I loved working with him and considering it was his first franchise experience as captain, he was outstanding.
“I absolutely loved everything about Lockie and what he brought to the table through his values. The players loved working and playing under him. He will definitely be captain next season.”
When discussing all-rounder Sam Curran’s retention in the team the Head Coach was especially excited about Curran’s return to national duty, with the all-rounder recalled to the England white-ball squad for the ongoing Twenty20 International series against Ireland.
“Sam (Curran) has been phenomenal for us, not just his form with the bat and ball in the field, but just his character and the way he leads around the group,” Foster said. “He stepped in a few times for Lockie as captain and he was great in that aspect as well because he really galvanises the group.
“And regarding his selection for England, everyone at the Desert Vipers was absolutely thrilled for him. He has been banging down that door and he really, truly deserves this opportunity. Game after game and year after year in so many competitions around the world he has been delivering time and time again.
“And character-wise, if you could choose a type of character you want in your team, he would be there every single time. I am delighted for him.”
James Foster has had the chance to work with the Vipers’ wild card signing Shimron Hetmyer in the past and said he was delighted that the team was able to sign the West Indies batter: “He has been super-successful against us (for the Gulf Giants against the Desert Vipers) but also very successful against other teams in our league and also around the world globally.
“He is a sought-after player and I have worked with him in a couple of teams, at London Spirit (in The Hundred) and in the T10 (Morrisville SAMP Army). He is another good guy who will fit in our environment perfectly. The environment piece is a very important piece for us as a franchise, and he ticks that box hugely.
“Shimron’s skill set has everything that we need. He is a left-hander, he is a powerful player, he has experience, he leads and he is a good fielder.”
Looking ahead to the much-awaited player auction, James Foster said: “It brings an air of excitement and unpredictability. I believe you have got to go into that auction very, very well-planned. And I guess it is also great for the league to help drive some interest, get some eyes on how the auction goes, and to see what type of players get picked up.
“It will be fascinating to see how it works. But we will go into that process fully planned. We have got Freddie Wilde who will be overseeing that, and he is arguably one of the best (analysts) going around.
“There are so many moving parts to an auction but we will be fully planned, which I believe will then give us the best chance to have a very successful experience.”
