The Desert Vipers were handed only their second defeat in nine outings, losing to MI Emirates by four wickets in Dubai.

Put into bat, the Desert Vipers struggled to score on a tough pitch. Dan Lawrence top-scored with an unbeaten 35 as the side scrambled to 124 for seven in their 20 overs.

The MI Emirates spinners, led by Player of the Match Shakib Al Hasan (two for 14), kept a tight hold on the scoring and MI used 12 overs of spin during the innings.

With the Vipers already guaranteed a top-two spot in the league table – and therefore two chances to reach the final via the post-season play-offs – the franchise took the opportunity to give opportunities to UAE players Matiullah Khan and Sanjay Pahal and both contributed positively: Matiullah excelled with the ball, claiming two wickets—including MI Emirates skipper Kieron Pollard. 

Ultimately however, MI Emirates reached their target comfortably, with 15 balls to spare.

Match Scores: 

Toss: MI Emirates 

Desert Vipers: 124/7(20 overs)

Top scorer: Dan Lawrence 35 not out

MI Emirates: 128/6 (17.3 overs)

Top scorer: Kieron Pollard 26 (15 deliveries)

Match Result: MI Emirates won by four wickets

Player of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan 17 not out and 2-14

Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match vodcast and podcast featuring Desert Vipers Head Coach James Foster:

On the team putting up a good fight against MI Emirates in tough conditions:

 ““It was a really interesting game. I really enjoy being involved in these types of games and these types of surfaces.

“It was a tricky pitch, (and we) managed to get to a score which I thought was very defendable, and I actually was really pleased with the amount of fight and courage and effort and scrap shown today. Obviously (we were up) against a very good side in Mumbai. I am delighted with the effort. The result did not go our way, but there were a lot of good things on show.”

On how much the team missed the services of Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmed, who has departed for the SA20 competition:

“Noor has been wonderful for us this season. He really has. He is a match winner.

“We spoke about Noor (on Vipers Voices) before the competition started and mentioned the threat that he possesses for the opposition. He is world-class and he has been so much fun for us as well off the pitch. So, obviously (he is) a big loss, but we have still got some good options within our stables.”

On Lockie Ferguson and an update on his injury: 

“He has an issue with the calf. He has got it strapped up at the moment. We will be going for a scan, etc. It is a real shame seeing that he has worked so hard to get back on the park after an injury during the back end of the men’s Hundred in the English season this year.

He has been working tirelessly and I actually thought he bowled really well today. I know he bowled just nine balls, but he looked quick, he looked on song, he had a great rhythm and unfortunately it is just one of those things.”

On giving UAE players Matiullah Khan and Sanjay Pahal the opportunity to play in the match against MI Emirates:

“They were brilliant today and they really impressed. Obviously this was their first chance as although Mati’ played early on in the season, he did not get the opportunity to bowl when we played Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at Sharjah. I thought they were both outstanding today.

“Kudos to Azhar (Mahmood). He has been working really hard with them all the way through since we have reported. They are two great guys and they have not had a huge amount of opportunity this season, but their character has really shone through. 

“Part of the reason we selected them is that they have been constantly smiling, constantly giving to the team and I thought they did a wonderful job today, especially with the ball.

“Sanjay obviously swung the ball, and he has got good skills. They (MI Emirates) tried to counter his swing by using their feet, but it was very promising. Also, Mati’, coming in halfway through our innings, he used his change-ups ( and they were effective). I am delighted for the pair of them.”

On how the Desert Vipers will approach the final group game of their campaign and how important a win will be for the team in the game against Sharjah Warriorz on December 26th: 

“It is the nature of the beast of this format. Yes, you want to win every single game, but it is not always the case. We will be preparing like we always do, preparing to win, putting the best team forward for that game.

“Today, it was about trying to give a few guys a bit of a rest, because, as I said, it has been a very gruelling season. You chat to players from the opposite teams as well. The guys are picking up some niggles here and there.

“So, we will be doing our work. We will have a little bit of training, then Christmas Day, which will be a great moment for the team. We are thoroughly looking forward to getting together as a great big unit and then excited about the game on the 26^th.”
The Desert Vipers next play the Sharjah Warriorz on Friday, December 26^th,  at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, starting at 6:30 pm.

The Desert Vipers defeated the Sharjah Warriorz for a seventh win in eight matches on Saturday night, a result that guarantees the Vipers a top-two group stage finish, and, more importantly, two shots at securing a berth in the final. 

On December 30th, the two leading teams will compete in Qualifier One, where the victor will go forward to that final.  However, the losing side has the chance to play in Qualifier two, where they meet the winner of the Eliminator (played between the sides placed 3^rd and 4^th at the end of the group stage) for another opportunity for a berth in the final.

Against the Warriorz, the Vipers lost the toss, had to bowl first, but they grasped control of the match by taking regular wickets and restricting the scoring rate. Sharjah were bowled out for just 90 in 17.5 overs. Their innings included just six boundaries in all and no sixes. 

Player of the Match David Payne led the wicket-taking tally with three, while Khuzaima Bin Tanveer – on his 26^th birthday – Naseem Shah and Noor Ahmad took two wickets apiece. 

The Desert Vipers’ reply was a bit shaky thanks to some spirited bowling from the Sharjah Warriorz. But in the end they managed to complete the run chase in the fourteenth over with the loss of six wickets on the way. 

Sam Curran’s knock of 37 off 31 deliveries helped guide the Vipers to an important success with 37 balls in hand. 

Match Scores: 

Toss: Sharjah Warriorz 

Sharjah Warriorz: 90 (17.5 overs)

Top scorer: Tom Abell 35 not out (off 36 deliveries)

Wicket takers: David Payne 3-14, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer 2-19, Naseem Shah 2-12, Noor Ahmad 2-18, Sam Curran 1-3

Desert Vipers: 91-6 (13.5 overs)

Top scorers:  Sam Curran 37 (off 31 deliveries)

Match Result: Desert Vipers won by four wickets

Player of the Match: David Payne 3-14

Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match vodcast and podcast featuring Desert Vipers fast bowler Khuzaima Bin Tanveer:

On opening the bowling, taking two wickets and winning a match on his birthday:

 “It was a great feeling (to take wickets and win the match on my birthday). My mother called me before the match and she said: ‘You have to win the match and you have to take the wickets as well’, so I think she would be happy now.

“I think if you are going to bowl with the new ball it is easy to get wickets earlier, if you hit the hard length and swing the ball both ways.  I just stuck to the plan and focussed on trying to take early wickets.”

On bowling alongside Player of the Match David Payne who took three wickets:

“I think from the very first over he was just hitting the right length and swinging the ball both ways. When he started bowling to Johnson Charles, who is an aggressive batsman, he (David Payne) remained calm. He stuck to the plans and just did all the simple things right – and he was successful as he got named Player of the Match.”

On the Desert Vipers’ run-chase and losing six wickets on the way. Was he nervous for the Vipers at any stage?

“I think the pitch was quite slow as compared to the previous games and really I think we should give the credit to the Sharjah bowlers. The way Taskin Ahmed started the inning and the way Adil Rashid bowled, the way Sikandar Raza bowled (made it tough for us). They bowled really well and that is why they took some early wickets we won by just four wickets.

“No (I was not nervous about the result, even when the Vipers were 30-3 at one stage). I trust the batsmen in my team. I know Sam Curran plays so calmly and the same for Dan Lawrence.  I am confident they can make the runs easily across conditions.”

On the Desert Vipers having confirmed a top-two finish in the league stage, ensuring they have two shots at making it to the final: 

“I think for any team it is really important that if we want to win the title we must secure our position in the tournament.

“Now I think we have won seven out of eight (matches) and it is really good to be on the top of the table. We will try to be in the finals (at the) first opportunity.”

The Desert Vipers have signed England’s ICC Cricket World Cup-winning batter Jason Roy for the remainder of this season’s DP World ILT20.

Roy, 35, arrived in Dubai on Saturday morning and replaces West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer, who suffered a hamstring injury during the side’s latest match, against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) on Tuesday.

Roy has a wealth of experience, at international level, in franchise cricket around the world and in the DP World ILT20, having previously played two matches for ADKR in Season 2 and a full season for the Sharjah Warriorz in Season 3.

Roy comes into the tournament with recent match action and UAE experience behind him.

He captained the Royal Champs in the Abu Dhabi T10 that wrapped up in late November and then played three matches for the Pakhara Avengers in the Nepal Premier League in early December.

Explaining Roy’s call-up, Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody said: “We are extremely disappointed to lose a player of Shimron’s quality and experience as he has played a positive role in our squad this season, but securing someone of Jason’s pedigree and experience certainly softens that blow.

“Jason ticks all the boxes for us. He knows the format inside-out, he is a versatile batter who can go through the gears, he provides us options up and down the order, he has been playing recently and he has experience in the DP World ILT20.

“He has also played in pressure situations, and to have someone like that coming into our squad as the sharp end of the tournament approaches is a real boost for us.”

The right-hander has played five Tests, 116 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 64 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for his country and was part of Eoin Morgan’s side that won the ICC Cricket World Cup at Lord’s in 2019, when England beat New Zealand in a super over. Roy’s throw from the boundary from the final ball of that super over helped to secure the trophy.

Also key to England’s success in that tournament was Roy’s batting form, as he scored four fifties, plus 153 against Bangladesh in Cardiff, part of a haul of 443 runs in seven innings with a strike-rate of 115.36.

Roy has 12 international hundreds, all scored in ODIs, and his 180 against Australia in Melbourne in 2018 is the second highest score by an England men’s batter in the format. Only Joe Root (19) and Eoin Morgan (13) have more men’s ODI hundreds for England.

He is one of only seven England men’s batters to top 1500 T20I runs and has a strike-rate in that international format of 137.61.

Roy is also one of only 19 men’s players to top 10,000 runs in Twenty20s and currently stands at seventeenth spot in the list of run-makers in the format with 10,554 runs, amassed in 412 matches with six hundreds and 69 fifties and a strike-rate of 139.89.

He has played all around the world on the T20 franchise circuit, lining up for four teams in the Indian Premier League, three sides in both the Big Bash League in Australia and the Bangladesh Premier League, and has also appeared in the Caribbean Premier League, SA20 in South Africa and Major League Cricket in the USA.

Roy has scored more than 4000 runs for Surrey in the T20 Blast, including four hundreds, and has played for Manchester Originals and Southern Brave in the men’s Hundred in England and Wales.

Although the Desert Vipers have already qualified for the end-of-season playoffs, there will be no drop-off in the desire to keep winning in their three remaining DP World ILT20 league fixtures according to Pakistan opening batter Fakhar Zaman.

Fakhar Zaman, who produced his highest score of the season thus far, 44 from 32 balls, in the side’s first reverse of the campaign, a one-run loss to the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Tuesday, told the Vipers Voices podcast the team was keen to win every match from here on.

“As we move towards the playoffs it is very important (that we keep the winning momentum),” he said. “Because winning and losing is a habit so I think winning means a lot and especially in these games, we have to fight til the end; we have to try to win each and every game. 

“This is our team motto also, so it means a lot to go into the playoffs by winning the games.”

 Fakhar added he was also pleased about his own improving form: “I was talking to Tom (Moody) about that, that I was feeling comfortable in the last innings and, of course, if you are scoring 30s and 40s it means that you are in a good nick in T20s, because it is a very high-risk game. So if it is your day, you can make it big.”

The top-order batter’s Pakistan team-mate Hassan Nawaz also showed off a glimpse of his hitting abilities in his last two outings, with 31 from 17 balls against the Dubai Capitals and 23 in 14 deliveries versus the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.

But, according to Fakhar, the best is still to come from Hassan.

“Hassan (Nawaz) is a kind of player that can play anywhere (in the order) and you need those kinds of players in your team who can play down the order or at top of the order. 

“I will talk about his talent, because he is such a great, talented player and his six-hitting ability is one of the best I have ever seen. I hope you will see more [of this] guy because he has not showed his full ability so I hope that he will show us his abilities especially in the playoffs.”

The Desert Vipers team management has called upon Fakhar Zaman to also play the role of mentor in the dressing room, bringing together the various groups of players therein and Fakhar said he really appreciated that additional responsibility.

“When our Head Coach talks to me and wants me to talk to some of the players or to the juniors about specific things, I really enjoy that role,” he said. “It makes me feel so good that our management wants something different out of me and that matters a lot to me also. 

“I am enjoying that and, to be honest, it helps me to know more things about different personalities.

“As we grow as players, so we learn many things and that is true, and I like to share my knowledge with youngsters so I really like these things and the way the youngsters respond to my words is something special.”

 The Pakistan batter has been very impressed with the maturity and development he has seen in fast bowler Khuzaima Bin Tanveer and he said the player, who is currently qualifying for the UAE, has a great career ahead of him.

“Khuzaima is such a great talent, not just as a bowler but I think he is a very handy batter and a very decent fielder. He has matured in the last year.

“I think his pace is the same but the way he is hitting those lengths consistently is amazing. And last year he was not bowling with the new ball but this year he is, and also at the death.  

“He has matured so much within one year so it means that he knows how to carry himself and I believe that in a few years he will be a great asset for the UAE team.”