Dubai, UAE (December 2, 2024) - English top-order batter Max Holden said he is relishing the chance to line up for the Desert Vipers in the upcoming third season of the United Arab Emirates’ own Twenty20 cricket tournament, the DP World ILT20, which gets underway next month.
“I spoke to (Desert Vipers Director of Cricket) Tom Moody in the (northern hemisphere) summer, about the time The Hundred was being played over here in the UK,” said Holden, speaking with Vipers Voices, the Desert Vipers’ own podcast.
“Tom runs the Oval Invincibles and I am at the Manchester Originals. He showed interest and, having played against the Vipers and seeing what they were about last year and also knowing a bit about Tom and what he is about, I was really excited to get to join and jumped at the chance.”
And the excitement of Max slotting into the Vipers set-up was a two-way street, according to Tom Moody.
“What I have seen of Max in recent times, particularly in The Hundred, is that he is quite a versatile player, naturally aggressive and he is quite creative in his shot-playing,” he said.
“Max offers points of difference in that he is left-handed for one, and he also plays differently from other top-order players we have got like Alex Hales and Dan Lawrence as he has got the ability to be what I would call a 360-degree player in that he can score all around the wicket.
“We believe he will complement what is already in the squad and what has been successful in the squad, and, to me, he looks like a player on the rise.
“Max looks like a really exciting talent. There is a huge upside to having him in our squad and we can hopefully help him to not only dominate in the ILT20 but also use this as a launchpad to representing his country in the future,” added Moody
Holden is not new to the DP World ILT20 having represented 2024 runners-up the Dubai Capitals in season two. His highest score was a crucial 51 against eventual champions the MI Emirates in the group stage, and Holden said he was excited about returning to the competition.
“It was obviously a great competition to be a part of and I got the chance to play with some great players with the Capitals and had a good run to the final.
“Obviously, just missing out to MI Emirates in the final was disappointing, but it was a great experience to have a first taste of the ILT 20 and what it has to offer. And hopefully the move across to the Vipers now (gives me the chance) to be a part of a team that goes one step further than I did last year.”
A player good enough to represent England at under-19 level at an age-group World Cup alongside fellow Vipers Dan Lawrence and Sam Curran, at 26 years-old, Max Holden is now a well-established top-order batter with county side Middlesex.
In the last English summer, he scored almost 1,000 first-class runs at an average of close to 50, including a double-hundred against Northamptonshire, and he told Vipers Voices he has worked hard on expanding his white-ball skills.
“I came through the Middlesex pathway and academy system and got my professional contract when I was about 17,” he said. “I think growing up, I was probably always more suited to the longer format, perhaps.
“But maybe four or five years ago, I made quite a conscious decision to work on my white-ball game as I wanted to be someone who could be successful across all the formats. And I think the last couple of years I have made some nice improvements in my white-ball stuff.
“With The Hundred starting in the UK, that has been a great exposure and experience for younger players to be able to learn off top class players. It has been a great standard of competition to be involved in. And that has really helped me come on.”
Versatility is one of Holden’s hallmarks as he filled four different top- and middle-order slots for Middlesex during the 2024 T20 Blast competition in England and Wales, and he also opened, batted at number three and played a role as a finisher for the Manchester Originals.
“For the Manchester Originals this past season, (opener and captain) Jos Butler was injured just before The Hundred so there was a vacancy at the top of the order with Phil Salt,” he said.
“I was happy to get the opportunity to do that and that is something I look to do in T20 cricket, to be as adaptable as I can. You cannot really walk into any of these teams and say, ‘I am a number three’ or ‘I am at number four.’ You have got to be quite flexible.
“I am someone who is happy to fill in where the team needs me and when they need me. I have had quite a lot of experience of batting in different positions. And I think that can be used as a positive.”
As for playing alongside Buttler in 2023 – when the Originals were runners-up in The Hundred to Tom Moody’s Oval Invincibles – and with Salt in 2023 and against last season, Holden said the exposure to those players proved to be transformational for him.
“It was an unbelievable experience, I think, to be able to play with two of the best players in the world,” he said. “I think Jos Buttler is the best England white-ball player we have ever had, in my opinion.
“So, to get a chance to share a dressing room with him and have partnerships with him a couple of years ago, it was an unbelievable experience.
“Obviously, it is slightly daunting when you are batting with a couple of players (Buttler and Salt) like that because you do not want to take up too many balls so they get into their rhythm of their routines as well. But they are two great people as well, and they are very happy to share their experiences and make you feel calm and confident in the middle as well, and that is where you learn most, from being at the other end from them,” he added.
The Vipers roster is a star-studded one again for season three with the likes of England T20 World Cup winners like Alex Hales and Sam Curran alongside other exceptional overseas talent like Sherfane Rutherford, Fakhar Zaman, Lockie Ferguson, Wanindu Hasaranga and Azam Khan.
But despite that stellar cast of players, Holden said he the player he was most keen to link up with was not one of the squad’s household names.
“I think one man I actually am looking forward to playing with, having faced a lot of him, is David Payne,” said Holden.
”He has been in unbelievable form in the UK for a number of years, I faced a lot of him with the new ball and I think he is one of the best going around.
“The way he swings it is exceptional and he gets wickets at the top of the innings, which I think is one of the most important things in T20 cricket.
“Getting the chance to be on the same team as him rather than facing him is something I am really looking forward to. But I am looking forward to playing with everyone.
“I think going into this competition, there are obviously a lot of strong teams, but looking at our squad and the list of players we have, there is no reason why we should not be aiming to be at the top of the list.
“As for my own ambitions, what I am looking to do is go to every (training) session and every game willing to do what is needed for the team. I think if everyone has that mindset, with the talent we have on display, there is no reason why we cannot have a good tournament.”
The DP World ILT20 kicks off on 11 January 2025 in Dubai with defending champions MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals playing at the Dubai International Stadium. The Desert Vipers play their first game the following day at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.
