We hear from Sam Curran, who was a key part of an opening match win for the Vipers against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi.Sam made 50 not out from 37 balls, and with Dan Lawrence making 70 in 39 deliveries, the duo added 95 in 10 overs as the side ultimately made light of a potentially tricky chase after ADKR made 166 for four in their 20 overs, winning with eight balls in hand.

Podcast Link:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2092289/episodes/16422933

Buy tickets for all Vipers matches this season either using the link below or at the ILT20’s official website.

Link -https://tickets.virginmegastore.me/ae/group/venue/50/desert-vipers?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab9fx_-_nYuzYvHADezZlIcCDI_Q1-MgUVPSzZh33ngq5Qp5aBuOZSl_ic_aem_IooLlA6jU_qbtCFRjyV67Q

The Desert Vipers began their campaign in this year’s DP World ILT20 with a convincing seven-wicket win against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The Vipers’ new skipper Lockie Ferguson won the toss and chose to bowl first and the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders recovered well from a few early setbacks and led by former Viper Phil Salt (71 not out from 49 balls) and Andre Russell (30 from 14 deliveries), they reached 166 for four.

The run chase began in promising fashion through another newcomer, Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman, and former England opening batter Alex Hales. But it was former England Under-19 teammates Dan Lawrence and Sam Curran who brought the game home for the Vipers.

Lawrence was named Player of the Match for his knock of 70 off 39 deliveries, while Curran remained unbeaten at 50 in 37 balls. The duo added 95 in 10 overs and the Vipers chased down the target with eight balls to spare.

Match Scores:

Toss: DV won the toss and chose to field first

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders: 166/5 (20 overs)

Top scorer: Phil Salt 71(49)

Desert Vipers: 168/3 (18.4 overs)

Top scorers:

Dan Lawrence70(39)

Sam Curran50 not out

Match Result: Desert Vipers won by seven wickets

Player of the Match: Dan Lawrence

Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match podcast featuring Desert Vipers all-rounder Sam Curran:

“Yes, that was a really, really great knock. I know Dan (Lawrence) really well. We played in the England Under- 19s together. Now he is at Surrey as well, which is great, and we have played a little bit of stuff in other parts of the world together. I think I actually watched him bat in the nets yesterday at training and he was smoking it everywhere. So, to see him hit the ball like that and be really positive and timing the ball extremely well is a great sign for us.

“And he is also here for a long period of time this season as well. I think that is a really nice thing in the Vipers this season. I think there is a lot of stability and the core is going to be here the whole way through, which I think is really important in tournament cricket.

“So, yes, I am really pleased for Dan and I am sure we will take big confidence from this win.”

“I guess it is really pleasing to feel in good nick in my first innings and to kind of stamp my mark on the tournament. And I think I am really in a good headspace in terms of knowing that I will be here the whole season and contribute, whereas last year I obviously came in just for the two games.

“So it is good to have a full season here and really get the chance to get stuck in with the bat, ball and in the field. So yes, I will take some confidence going forward.”.

The Desert Vipers’ next match of the 2025 DP World ILT20 is on Tuesday, January 14th, against the Gulf Giants at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai, starting at 6:30 PM.

Dubai, UAE (Jan 10, 2025) – A couple of days ahead of the Desert Vipers’ opening game of this season’s DP World ILT20, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Sunday, Director of Cricket Tom Moody confirmed UAE wicketkeeper batter Tanish Suri would keep wickets for the team in the early stages of the tournament.

Moody was asked on the Vipers Voices podcast about the impact-sub rule which allows a player to be switched in and out of the playing eleven at any stage, and how the team would be using that in selection, especially in the case of the two wicket-keeping batters Tanish Suri and Azam Khan.

“Yes, it’s a tricky one in that a lot depends on obviously if you’re batting and bowling first,” said Moody. “But certainly, initially, we are looking for Tanish Suri to keep wicket.“

His game has really elevated over the last 12 months, so it is really exciting to see our UAE talent evolve and for us to play a small role in helping Tanish and others develop is really, really important“

And that is the exciting thing around this league that I have noticed in the first two years – the growth of the domestic players, and we have got two really good examples in Ali Naseer and Tanish Suri.“

They are two young exciting UAE players that are starting to break in regularly to the national setup, but they are players that can hold their own in this league comfortably, and I think that is a credit to the league and what we are trying to do as a franchise in trying to develop the domestic players, which is exciting.”

“Someone like Azam Khan will be potentially playing a different role as an impact batter, or we have obviously got the flexibility to use him in a dual role as a wicketkeeper-batter, which he is more familiar with, but having that impact sub does create sort of that creativity with your selection, and we will be looking to explore that.”

Tom Moody also listed a few players who were either confirmed to be in the playing eleven for Sunday’s opener or at least were top of the queue for selection.

“I think you can probably guess most of the starters, but again without divulging too much, we obviously know that Wanindu Hasaranga is not going to be available (as he has not yet arrived in the UAE), but the likes of Lockie Ferguson and Mohamed Amir will definitely be featuring in our bowling attack, there is no question.

“Without Wanindu Hasaranga here, someone like Nathan Sowter, who had such a good practice game (taking four for eight) will be in front of the queue to be leading the spin attack. And obviously our new arrivals in Fakhar Zaman will definitely be starting as well, so it is going to be exciting to see the combination of his class and experience alongside someone like Alex Hales at the top of the order.”

Reflecting on the team’s excellent performance in the warm-up game against the Gulf Giants on Thursday, Moody said it was just the boost the team needed.

“I think the most important thing when you are preparing for a tournament is just having that early confidence in the playing group and certain individuals shining early doors.

“We had a couple of good individual performances. As we know, practice matches do not equal points towards the trophy, but certainly, from a psychological point of view, it is a positive thing for the group that we have had a win.

“I think in those situations, players get out there and get familiar with their potential roles with the side and put in a good performance. Again, you can have as many net sessions as you like, but you get your real value out of performing in a practice match.”

The Desert Vipers first match of the 2025 DP World ILT20 is on day two of the tournament, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, starting at 2pm.Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now available.

Link:https://tickets.virginmegastore.me/ae/ILT20

Dubai, UAE (Jan 11, 2025)– Desert Vipers’ new captain Lockie Ferguson has a clear message for his team ahead of their tournament opener against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) on Sunday: let the opposition worry about us.

Speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast, the New Zealand fast bowler said that while the opposition side was loaded with legends of the game, he wanted the Desert Vipers to focus inwards and build on their own skill set.

“I think too often we maybe focus on other teams’ strengths but sometimes forget our own,” he said. “I certainly felt talking with the coaches of this group that it is important we look after our own backyard, make sure we are focusing on what we do well and trying to exploit that as much as possible.

On Sunday the opposition include some high-profile players in the Twenty20 arena including West Indies all-rounders Andre Russell and Jason Holder, captain Sunil Narine, and hard-hitting USA batter Andries Gous.

But the Desert Vipers’ leader said this level of quality was what made the DP World ILT20 such a special and an exciting tournament.

“Yes, there is a lot of firepower within that (ADKR) side. It is important to go into the match prepared and then adjust accordingly on the day, but it will be a good tussle for sure.

“This tournament is highly skilled and I think across the board each team is intimidating. The Desert Vipers certainly fit into that mould as well, but it is the exciting part of playing these tournaments. You want to test yourself against the best. I know, having played alongside a lot of those players, it is nice to challenge myself against them as well.

“It is the fantastic part about playing international franchises that often you will be playing against them and then perhaps the next tournament you are playing alongside them.

“So, it is about trying to learn from the players you have on your side and then trying to remember what they said when you played with them and trying to use it a little bit against them. That is all part of the game of cricket. But we will certainly be doing our homework.”

The captain made a special mention of how Vipers teammate Sherfane Rutherford impressed him in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), as they were also teammates at Sydney Thunder. Rutherford led Thunder to a thrilling victory on January the 3rd against the Perth Scorchers, scoring 15 runs off the final over, including a last-ball boundary, to underline his match-winning ability.

“That was unbelievable,” said Ferguson. “He is one of those players that wins those games for you and those are the big moments that are crucial in a tournament. You win those games that get you through to the finals and that gives your team the confidence to continue that way.

“He had a tough start (at the BBL) which happens in cricket where you just get the nick that gets caught or the ball does not go over the ‘keeper. So, it was awesome to watch him just be so consistent about his prep, knowing and backing his talents and his experience that he would come good at some stage, and he did. He came good for us against Perth in a really, really tough moment.

“I was stoked for him to get us across the line. It was in front of about 40-odd thousand people and for a domestic game, pretty incredible. It was nice to get those two points that game and I am sure he’s having a nap now which is great and resting up for game one tomorrow.”

When asked about what he thought was the key to success in this tournament, the Desert Vipers captain said reading the conditions and adapting quickly was crucial.

“The benefit of playing around the world is understanding as quickly as possible on the day what works on that wicket,” he said.

“Talking with the other bowlers and communication is one of those cliches that gets thrown around but it’s actually probably one of the most important things to adjusting quickly – particularly in a T20 game where everything happens so quickly.

“Having played here in the past I have got a lot of learnings. I think the beauty of UAE cricket is that each ground is very different. In Abu Dhabi there are bigger boundaries, and you can actually have a bit of pace in the wicket, through to Sharjah which is obviously a smaller, sliding-on wicket. We have not played yet so I am not sure what the wickets will be like and it is important to look to our experience within the squad.

“We are very blessed to have the Pakistan boys with us who have played a lot here and will help to understand the wicket as quick as possible and then review quickly because we only have those one-day turnarounds.

“The most exciting part of cricket, I think, is that each day it is different. It certainly keeps my energy and my enthusiasm to want to continue to improve and perform on the wickets and I can see the exact same thing with the Desert Vipers.”

And looking ahead the skipper admitted that he was nervous, but in a good way.

“(I am) always nervous. I think you are nervous because you care and, obviously, I care extremely highly because I am skippering this team and I want us to do well. But at the same time, it is nice to look around the changing room and see so much experience and excitement from the team that they are keen to go out there and take on those tough moments in the game. So, like I have always done in my career, we will take it one game at a time.”