The Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody has admitted to “a great sense of satisfaction” after the franchise got across the line to lift its first DP World ILT20 title this month.
Tom, twice a part of Australian ICC Cricket World Cup-winning squads as a player, knew that the Vipers needed to shed the tag of nearly men this season after twice previously reaching the final of the tournament only to be pipped at the post.
And speaking with the Vipers Voices podcast as he wrapped up Season 4, he said the success in the final against MI Emirates, after a record-breaking league stage campaign that produced eight wins in 10 matches, brought with it a whole range of emotions.
“I had many feelings to be honest with you (after having won the DP World ILT20 trophy in Season 4),” he said. “Fulfilment is one of them (because), whether we are players or support staff, we all aspire to be there at the end and to play the final.
“We have been privileged enough to do that three times, but this is the first time we have lifted the silverware (and) I think the first feeling I had was not relief; it was just a great sense of satisfaction for everyone that has been involved in this journey.
“This is four years that we have been together as a franchise. Yes, we have had some personnel come and go, more so on the field than off it, and naturally you are going to have some changes with recruitment as the seasons go from one to the other.
“But just seeing the relief and the satisfaction that everyone involved with the Desert Vipers got for having that final moment and lifting the trophy was extremely rewarding.”
From Tom’s perspective, one of the keys to the side’s success in Season 4 was the way everyone dealt with the challenges thrown in their way. These included the loss of captain Lockie Ferguson and Shimron Hetmyer to tournament-ending injuries, the lengthy injury absence of wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous and the fact spin bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was unable to feature at all due to Sri Lanka commitments.
“I (am most pleased) with the way we dealt with adversity,” he said. “We had a lot of challenges throughout the season, whether it was injuries or players unable to turn up or players not receiving the necessary NOCs (No Objection Certificates) from their countries. Those sorts of things can throw your planning into a bit of a spin.
“But we managed to remain quite calm in that situation, both on and off the field. We made some good strategic decisions around replacements that were unexpected. And just the fact that it was not smooth sailing, even though it may have looked on the surface that it was, when you saw we won eight group games out of 10, and then the way we had a clinical finish in the finals – that all adds up to excellence from our perspective.
“I think it is a reflection of the environment we have created and the leadership that we have got both on and off the field. That makes it even more important that we recognise that this has been a special year.”
Sam Curran led the Desert Vipers in seven matches, including Qualifier 1 and the final in the absence of Lockie Ferguson and apart from success as a leader, he also won awards for Player of the Tournament (his second in successive editions of the DP World ILT20) and as the leading run-scorer.
Photo by CREIMAS / ILT20
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That type of performance, as a player and a leader, led Tom Moody to reflect upon how crucial Sam was to the side’s ultimate success.
“Sam has got that ambition to want to lead teams,” he said. “He is a natural leader by character and people like to follow his lead as well, because he is one of those magnetic characters.
“Probably most importantly, with regards to his captaincy, he is strategically savvy. He understands the game. He reads the game. And all good captains tend to captain an over or two ahead of the game. They do not chase the game. They do not react to situations. They are ahead of those situations and play it on their terms.
“I think Sam captained for us in seven games and won virtually all of them. That is not too bad.”
Off the field, the Director of Cricket highlighted CEO Phil Oliver’s role in creating an environment that set the tone for the team’s success.
“Phil (Oliver) has played an enormous role,” he said. “His consistency and leadership at the top has been second to none. Obviously, there is a lot of pressures on a CEO in a league like this because there is more to it than what you see on the surface.
“The way that Phil empowers me and the cricketing group is second to none. He has also got some great insight with regards to the cricketing side of things, which we draw upon as well.
“But what he is trying to create outside of the cricket side of things with regards to sustainability and the education piece is something to be admired not only by the people within our group, but also by people externally, who are starting to look inside our setup and see that there is another way to do things and do them efficiently.
“So, what Phil is developing and driving is something quite unique in sport, and it is a credit to him and his team the progress that we have made in that space.
“I think it will be one of those things that we will look back in time and think we could be very proud of what we have achieved, because I cannot help but feel that we are nearly the shepherds of the game with regards to sustainability and education around how we can do things differently, how we can connect with more corporate support through different avenues.
“I think we are yet to really realise the impact this is going to have in sport globally,” he added.
Despite recent announcements around other cricket commitments that Tom Moody has taken on, he confirmed he will be very much a part of the team’s future plans and said he looked forward to keeping the winning habit going.
“History tells you that we are winning more games than we are losing. I think if we stay true to our values as an organisation and our principles in building sides, there is no reason why we will not be at the pointy end of the tournament next season.
“We have got some winning momentum having got over this hurdle of winning a final. I think it is just blue skies ahead. So, it is exciting times for the Vipers.”
