Tom Moody and Colin Munro look ahead to DC – Vipers Voices
This time we have a real treat for you – a round-table chat with captain Colin Munro and Director of Cricket Tom Moody to look ahead to the match against the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday night, the 9th of February.
It’s the penultimate match of the regular season for the Vipers and it’s a must-win encounter if the side wants to retain a realistic chance of making it to the play-offs.
In our chat with Tom and Colin, the pair reflect on the season so far, and also on what’s to come, starting with that clash against the Capitals.
We spoke about the return of Dan Lawrence from England duty for the next two matches, the arrival of Sam Curran and Phil Salt, both outstanding international cricketers in the Twenty20 format, and the impact, both on and off the field, of the Pakistan contingent – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir – this season.
We also discussed the importance of the toss and the fact that the Capitals match is so high-stakes. It’s all about pressure and Colin and Tom have some very interesting thoughts on that.
We’re all set for what should be some unmissable action over the next few days with, first, the match against the Capitals and then an encounter against Sharjah Warriors that could define the whole season.
And if you want to be part of that action then getting hold of your tickets couldn’t be easier.
You can do so either via the ILT20 website –www.ilt20.ae– or from any Virgin Megastore in the UAE.
Sustainability Match sets the tone for Desert Vipers’ future initiatives
The Desert Vipers Sustainability Match on Saturday the 3rdof February was held with the aim of raising awareness on issues of climate change and plastic waste through a series of initiatives in the stadium and at the fan carnival.From recycling bins to educational workshops to collection of old sports garments and so much more, the Desert Vipers went all out to showcase their commitment to sustainability.Cricket fans at the stadium and in the fan carnival engaged with all of these activations, confirming the franchise’s belief that raising awareness can lead to positive changes in behaviour.Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver said he believed the Sustainability Match was all that the team hoped for and more: “It certainly was a success, and we are delighted with how the sustainability match went both on and off the field. Winning the match obviously helped but regardless of that we achieved, many of the aims we set out to do happened and worked.“Raising awareness was a key part of what we wanted to do. So, having so many fans in the ground participating in our sustainability initiative was very exciting to see.“Having so many people in the fan carnival taking part in the education piece was a major breakthrough for us, because this was the first chance for local fans in Dubai who are taking part in these initiatives to actually come in to the stadium and see these things up close, and all the things that Ben Hardy-Jones (the Desert Vipers Sustainability Manager) and the off-field team pulled together. This was brilliant to see.“So, it was a success, and the exciting thing is what happens next because we have raised awareness and done some education around this and helped to change some behaviours, so let us see what we can do moving forward to keep up the momentum.”Ben Hardy-Jones, the team’s Sustainability Manager, has been at the heart of the Desert Vipers’ various initiatives and he said he was encouraged with the way the fans participated in the various activations on the day.“For us as a team we have been doing a lot of things around sustainability so this match was an opportunity to really engage our fans properly on an official level,” he said.“So, it was really good to see fans engaging with all that we were trying to do. The fans came to the ground wearing green which helped with our communication and education piece.“The fans’ response to having the recycling bins at the stadium for the first time was quite a positive one. I had a look at the bins myself and the fans were sticking to the correct items for the bins. It was really good to see them quickly taking that up and I think that is a real positive going forward to know that our fans are responsive and interested in what we are doing and can ultimately help us to achieve our goals of a more circular and better future for the planet.”The Desert Vipers sustainability programme has been in place since July last year and, as part of that, the Desert Vipers have also been running a schools and community outreach programme to spread the word about sustainability while offering children at schools a chance to learn about and play cricket.The Sustainability Match was a chance to engage with the community, and especially children, said CEO Phil Oliver.“Having so many children in the stadium taking part in these initiatives has set the agenda for what comes next,” he said. “We have been in schools over the past few months, with sustainability themed cricket training, and having those kids come and see what we are doing up close gives us the opportunity to grow that programme.The franchise has now been joined by the Dubai Sports Council as its Lead Sustainability Partner, and the Sustainability Match was the first step in cementing this very significant relationship.“This match was the start point of that partnership, with the Dubai Sports Council coming on board as our lead sustainability partner,” said Phil Oliver.“We now have the opportunity to build from the platform that the Sustainability Match has laid, I think we have got some fans of cricket, but also some fans of sustainability, which is an exciting position to be in, and it is down to us to capitalise on the momentum that we have created.”Desert Vipers Owner Avram Glazer made it a point to attend the Sustainability Match and show his support for the sustainability programme. Vipers CEO Phil Oliver said the franchise would never have been able to embark upon this journey without the owners’ support.“It was very exciting for our owners to see up close what we have been working so hard to achieve. There were a vast number of fans in the stadium. I think it was the highest attendance of the tournament so far, and that was no coincidence because we marketed this match and event very strongly.“It has been quite a journey for us, and we have always said that none of this would be possible without the buy-in from everyone involved, be it owners or players, and the support from our owners has been key to that.”The Desert Vipers are back in action on Friday, February 9, when they take on the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium.Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now on sale and can be purchased via the official DP World ILT20 website or at any Virgin Megastore across the UAE.
Salt and Curran all set to add Spice to Vipers Run to the Line in DP World ILT20
England team-mates Sam Curran and Phil Salt are all set to link up with the Desert Vipers for the business end of this season’s DP World ILT20.The duo will slot in with the Vipers losing Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan ahead of the start of the Pakistan Super League, while Wanindu Hasaranga has returned to Sri Lanka for international duty.The pair are both arriving in Dubai off the back of appearances in the SA20 competition in South Africa – Phil for Pretoria Capitals and Sam with MI Cape Town – and both will bring with them exceptional CVs when it comes to shortform cricket.Sam was the player of the tournament when England won the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, finishing as the joint second-highest wicket-taker – level with new Vipers team-mate Bas de Leede and behind only Hasaranga, who took 15.The sixth highest wicket-taker for England in men’s Twenty20 Internationals, in late 2022 Sam was snapped up by Indian Premier League franchise Punjab Kings for a then-record GBP1.85 million (IR18.5 crore).Phil also has Indian Premier League experience, with the Delhi Capitals in 2023, and in December last year set the cricketing world alight with two hundreds during England’s five-match Twenty20 International series against the West Indies in the Caribbean.The right-hander, who is also a recognised wicketkeeper, has a batting strike rate of 165.97 in Twenty20 Internationals and, like Sam, was part of England’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2022.Phil will become the Vipers’ second Wildcard selection for the 2023 edition of the DP World ILT20 following on from fellow England batter Dan Lawrence.The wildcard is a new development for this season with each franchise allowed to pick two wildcard players, extending the squad limit to 24 players, while also expanding the spending purse limit by US$250,000. Wildcard players can be brought in by teams at any time in the tournament, but once framed, cannot be replaced.Commenting on the signings, Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody said: “We are delighted to welcome Sam and Phil to the Vipers squad.“Both players are proven international performers with exceptional Twenty20 records and they will add an extra dimension to our team.“I know Sam extremely well having worked with him for the Oval Invincibles at The Hundred and I know the quality he offers with bat, ball and in the field. He loves to be involved in big games at important times and that is the sort of attitude we want from our players.“Phil has developed into one of the most exciting players in world cricket at the top of the order, as he showed in the Caribbean with England in December, and he is also an excellent wicketkeeper and so provides us with options in that regard.“We are grateful for the efforts of Shaheen, Azam, Shadab and Wanindu during their time with the Vipers this season. All four of them were fantastic around the squad, offering us so much on and off the field. They were terrific team players and it was a joy to have them with us.“It is now time for us to focus on two big matches to come, on Friday against the Dubai Capitals and on Sunday against the Sharjah Warriors, with the reward of a place in the play-offs if we win them.“We have had a break after a very intense period of matches, and now is the time for us to produce the form we know we are capable of.”Tickets for the Vipers’ final matches of the regular season are available via the DP World ILT20 website and at any Virgin Megastore across the UAE.
