Dubai, UAE (August 28, 2023)–The highest run scorer in season one of the DP World ILT20, Alex Hales was in Dubai for a short visit last week and said he was thrilled with the new additions to the Desert Vipers squad, believing the line-up looked even stronger for the tournament’s next edition in January 2024.

Alex Hales said: “I believe so (the Desert Vipers squad looks stronger this year) and that takes some doing because I thought we had an unbelievable squad last year. I think we have kept some key players and (have) recruited extremely well, so I think the players, coaches, and fans can get really excited for this season.”

The signing of star Pakistan left-arm strike bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi for the Desert Vipers has grabbed headlines. Alex Hales has had previous experience facing Afridi in both the international and franchise arenas, as well as playing alongside him for Nottinghamshire in this year’s T20 Blast in the UK, and he said he knows just how much of a threat the fast bowler is to any opposition.

Speaking about the signing, Hales said: “You could put the case forward that he is probably the best seam bowler in the world at the moment. Certainly, the best new-ball bowler. (Shaheen) swings it with extreme pace from a six-foot-six (inches) frame, left-arm around the wicket, and it is a right-hander’s nightmare. I am just lucky that he is on our team this year.”

Hales added: “I have had some good jousts with him in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and in international cricket and he is one of the finest operators. I think it is an unbelievable recruitment for us, especially with the swinging conditions we will probably have in the UAE.”

Hales is equally excited about the two other Pakistan signings, all-rounder Shadab Khan and wicket-keeper batter Azam Khan, and believes the fact that the Desert Vipers are the only franchise to recruit Pakistan players gives them the edge over the other teams.

Hales said: “With the three we have signed it definitely gives us the advantage. Three of the best T20 players in the world right now are already added to the ranks of what we had last year, where we reached the final, and I think it looks like a really dangerous squad.”

Speaking about Shadab Khan, Hales added: “I think he is a complete cricketer. He is excellent in the field, he is also a good leg-spinner, with a lot of mystery to his leg-spin, and can also whack sixes in the middle to lower order, (and) sometimes in the top order in the PSL. So, (he is) a wonderful utility player and one of the best all-rounders in the world so, yes, that is a top-class recruit and I am sure he will shine for us.”

Hales has had previous experience playing with Azam Khan in the PSL and is a huge fan of the wicket-keeper batter: “He is one of the best hitters of a cricket ball I have seen. The bat looks so small in his hands, he is just a big strong unit, and he can hit it for a mile. (Azam Khan) plays spin and seam very well, and obviously is a wicketkeeper as well. I played with him in the latest edition of the PSL and he was so good. Another dangerous player in the middle order.”

Here is what Alex Hales had to say about the other three new Desert Vipers recruits announced last week:

On Adam Hose:“I have played against him a handful of times and he seems to score runs, I think he got a hundred against us at Trent Bridge, maybe last year, and he just hit it to all parts. He is a very dangerous player, and he can score all around the wicket and he is very good in the field as well. So, another good middle-order signing.”

On Bas de Leede:“A good young talent and an all-rounder and in T20 they are gold dust. Someone who can bowl good pace, good change-ups, and also whack it, in the middle to lower order. I think he is a very dangerous cricketer and again another top-notch signing.”

On Michael Jones:“Definitely (a player on his way up). That is what you want when you are building franchises, young guys where the sky is the limit. He had a great season this year and I am sure we will see even more of that form this winter.”

With a busy playing schedule ahead of him, Alex Hales said he was excited at the prospect of returning to the UAE for the DP World ILT20 and said: “I love coming to the UAE and I loved playing for the Vipers. The tournament was a big success, and we had a successful campaign. Obviously, we would have liked to win one more, but I am really happy with how it went, and it is getting me excited about coming back here in January.”

While Alex Hales was the top run-scorer in the tournament (ILT20) with 469 runs across 12 innings, he found the going harder as the tournament progressed. However, he said he was philosophical about that dip in form. “This is T20 cricket,” said Hales. “As an opener, you are expected to go out there and take the game on. It is often the best time to bat in the first six overs, but sometimes the ball can swing, and seam and you can have one with your name on it.

“I think the pitches were definitely better at the start of the tournament, so I cashed in then, I think, but now I have a bit more experience about how the pitches will behave in the backend, and that will hold me in good stead next year when it comes to consistency.”

As for Hales’ key learning from season one, the tall right-hander was clear about that: “I had not had a huge amount of experience in the UAE before this tournament,” he said. “Just a handful of international games and one or two in the PSL.

“It was kind of unchartered territory for me, but the ball swung and seemed a fair bit so as an opener you can maybe give yourself a little more time than you would in different comps (competitions), and just to get used to the swing and cash in a little later on in the innings. So that is something I will look to a bit more in the next season and just be a bit more weary in the first 10-20 deliveries.”

The second edition of the ILT20 is scheduled to start in January 2024.

The Desert Vipers finished as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in January and February 2023.

Among the players the Desert Vipers have retained from that first edition are English opening batter Alex Hales, who scored the competition’s first-ever individual hundred and finished as its leading run-scorer, and Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lanka wrist-spinner, the top wicket-taker in the past two editions of the ICC T20 World Cup.

Dubai, UAE (21 August, 2023)–The Desert Vipers have announced an impressive list of new players who will join the squad for season two of the DP World ILT20.

Coming into the line-up which finished as runners-up in the first edition of the tournament are the Pakistan trio of fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, leg-spinning all-rounder Shadab Khan and wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan, plus Scotland batter Michael Jones, Dutch all-rounder Bas de Leede, and English batter Adam Hose.

Explaining the overall goal behind these signings, Director of Cricket Tom Moody said: “We are certainly looking at all our options to continue to build the strongest squad we possibly can, but more importantly to build a team that is not only going to take it one step further in 2024 and not only play in a final but win a final.

“We are also looking to build a squad that our growing fan-base is going to look forward to supporting. The more support we have on the other side of the fence the greater the heights the team can reach.”

In addition to the already-announced superstar bowler from Pakistan Shaheen Shah Afridi, also making a grand entrance into the squad are a player who has led his country at the Twenty20 International level, Shadab Khan, and power-hitter Azam Khan.

Shadab Khan may be still only 24 years old, but he has already accumulated a wealth of experience at international and domestic levels, having played in Twenty20 tournaments across continents, from the Caribbean to Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

The Pakistan all-rounder has played more than 250 T20s with over 2500 runs at a strike rate of 136 and almost 300 wickets at an economy rate of 7.41. The talismanic leg-spinner became the first Pakistan men’s cricketer to take 100 T20I wickets for his country earlier this year.

He was also the joint-highest wicket-taker for finalists Pakistan (along with Shaheen Shah Afridi) at the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia last year, capturing 11 wickets. Add to that his Asia Cup experience in the UAE last year, where he took eight wickets in five matches to help steer Pakistan to the final (they lost in that final to Sri Lanka), and it is no surprise he has been on the Desert Vipers’ radar.

Tom Moody said: “Shadab is certainly a great package and a genuine all-rounder, someone who can bat in the top six and have an impact. With his leg-spin, he is very creative in what he does there. From a skill point of view, he is complete, and on top of that, he has got a growing reputation as a respected leader.”

Shadab Khan’s latest action has been for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred in the UK.

Azam Khan, son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, was most recently seen in action in Canada in the Canadian T20 League for the Panthers. Azam finished as the side’s leading run-scorer, with 179 runs at a strike rate of 135.6.

Apart from Canada, the wicketkeeper-batter also has abundant experience across T20 leagues in the Caribbean (CPL), Bangladesh (BPL), Sri Lanka (LPL), and Pakistan (PSL). Azam has played more than 100 T20s and has topped 2000 runs with one hundred and a strike rate of 142.44, including a whopping 139 sixes. His most recent UAE experience came earlier this year in March, when he played the latest of his five T20Is, against Afghanistan in Sharjah.

Azam said he was delighted to be joining the Vipers: “I am very excited to announce I am joining the Desert Vipers in the ILT20 for the upcoming season. The UAE fans are crazy about cricket and last season the atmosphere was amazing. I am looking forward to this season and hoping to put on some good performances in the tournament.”

Tom Moody said Azam Khan could be a player for the Desert Vipers to strike fear into opposition attacks: “We are thrilled to have Azam join us because he is a real threat. We have seen his performances over recent years in franchise cricket, where he has stunned the opposition, and stunned the crowd with some of his performances with the bat.

“He is a genuine power-hitter that can take the game in a breath-taking way away from the opposition. We look forward to having him as an impact player in the middle-order to join the likes of Sherfane Rutherford, who has continued to show his high level of excellence in the tournament in Canada recently.”

Extraordinary talents from Associate nations have been carefully picked to bolster the side, including Scotland batter Michael Jones and Dutch all-rounder Bas de Leede.

Bas de Leede has UAE experience, having played in the Abu Dhabi T10 and also featuring in one game for the MI Emirates at the inaugural ILT20. He shot to fame for his performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in July 2023 where, in a must-win match for the Netherlands, he took 5-52 and then scored 123 from just 92 deliveries to pilot his side to a place at the Cricket World Cup in India.

Bas de Leede is thrilled with the inclusion and said: “I am really excited to have signed with the Desert Vipers for the ILT20. It is a great group of players, who have come so close to winning the competition last year(season). I am really looking forward to joining up with that squad and bringing home some silverware this season.”

Tom Moody said he hoped the Desert Vipers environment would take de Leede to the next stage of his career: “He is a player on the rise and an exciting all-round talent. He is at the beginning of this journey, and he had a good time recently in the qualifiers in Zimbabwe and performed well with both the bat and ball, and he has also had a bit of exposure in franchise cricket.

“We feel he is going to add an enormous amount of value for us as a very exciting all-round talent. Hopefully, we can play a role in his journey as a young, emerging all-rounder on the world stage.”

Michael Jones has played 12 ODIs and four T20Is for Scotland and is no stranger to the UAE as he made his ODI debut for Scotland at the ICC Academy in Dubai in January 2018, scoring 87 as he opened the batting against Ireland.

Jones featured for Scotland in all their matches in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia and made 110 runs in three matches against West Indies, Ireland, and Zimbabwe.

More recently as a member of the Durham side, he played all 14 of the team’s T20 Blast matches in 2023 and scored 331 runs at a strike-rate of 130.31.

Michael Jones spoke about how he felt about being picked by the Desert Vipers: “I am really excited to be linking up with the Desert Vipers. I have heard such great things about the tournament, and I know that we have such a great team led by Colin Munro, and coaches James Foster and Tom Moody.

“I made my debut for Scotland in the UAE, so I am familiar with conditions, and I really can’t wait to get going.”

Tom Moody said he was excited to welcome Jones into the squad: “He (Michael Jones) was a real standout Associate player that has performed really well when given an opportunity.

“He is a free-flowing run scorer and an impact-type player who has got a strong base to his game, a strong technique. We look forward to helping him develop his game and be a part of his journey.”

The Associates are joined by the highly regarded English batter Adam Hose.

Speaking about linking up with the team next year, Adam Hose said: “I am really excited about joining the Desert Vipers for the next edition of the ILT20.

“We have got a fantastic list of players and coaches and I am really excited about joining with everyone in January. I know they came runners-up last year but hopefully, we can go one step better.”

In more than 120 T20 matches Adam Hose has scored over 3000 runs, with two hundreds and a strike-rate of 144. His global experience of T20 cricket extends to New Zealand, Australia, and the Caribbean.

Hose also has significant UAE experience having played in the Abu Dhabi T10 2021 with the Bangla Tigers and in 2022 with the Northern Warriors alongside fellow Desert Viper Sherfane Rutherford.

Most importantly, the Worcestershire batter, whose latest action has been for the Northern Superchargers (alongside Bas de Leede) in The Hundred in the UK, played in the inaugural ILT20 as a member of the Sharjah Warriors squad in 2023, taking part in three matches, including one versus the Desert Vipers in Sharjah (where he made 17 in 17 balls).

All of the above made him a great selection for the Desert Vipers according to Tom Moody: “Adam Hose really stood out as a player who has an all-round game, and one of those players who can come in and impact the game immediately,” he said.

“He is tall and a very good player of spin both down the ground and square of the wicket. Adam is a threat and one of those players whose game has come a long way over the last couple of years, and I still feel in the next couple of years he has got equal growth in his game too.

“Hopefully we can benefit as a franchise with what he can offer now which is exceptional, but also what he potentially could turn into.

“It is important that he has had exposure to how the tournament is played, the conditions in the UAE, and the three venues. Hopefully, under our guidance, he continues to thrive and develop as a player and enjoys his experience with the Desert Vipers.”

Desert Vipers Captain Colin Munro commented on the new additions to the side: “I am really happy with the new players we have bought to supplement our retained players from last year,” he said.

“It is very exciting to have the Pakistani boys Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Azam Khan. They add a real extra dimension to our squad with both bat and ball.

“Adam Hose is a very destructive middle-order player and has a wealth of county experience as well as some franchise cricket around the world.

“Welcome to our two new Associate players Michael Jones from Scotland and Bas de Leede from the Netherlands. They bring real quality and some county experience as well.

“Last year we came very close to winning the title and got pipped at the post. With the additional players that we have brought in, adding to our retained players, it puts us in a really strong position in the next edition.”

The second edition of the ILT20 is scheduled to start on 13 January 2024.

The Desert Vipers finished as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in January and February 2023.

Among the players the Desert Vipers have retained from that first edition are English opening batter Alex Hales, who scored the competition’s first-ever individual hundred and finished as its leading run-scorer, and Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lanka wrist-spinner, the top wicket-taker in the past two editions of the ICC T20 World Cup.

The Desert Vipers have confirmed the statement signing of Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi.

The left-armer, one of the most feared opening bowlers in world cricket, is set to link up with the Vipers for the second edition of the United Arab Emirates T20 League, the ILT20, in early 2024, on a three-year contract.Afridi, 23, who was named as ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year in 2021, has played 27 Tests, 36 One-Day Internationals and 52 Twenty20 Internationals and has 239 wickets across all formats at the international level.This year he captained the Lahore Qalanders to the Pakistan Super League title and was player of the match in the final against the Multan Sultans, scoring an unbeaten 44 from only 15 deliveries before taking four for 51 in a one-run success for his side.Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody said he was thrilled to welcome a player of Afridi’s quality and ability to the squad for the ILT20.“Shaheen is a player of world-class calibre who has had a significant impact not only for Pakistan but for every team he’s played for in recent times,” said Moody.“He offers a huge amount as an impact pace bowler that has destroyed many, many top orders and he also boasts terrific leadership skills that will add a huge amount of value to the Desert Vipers moving forward.“We are thrilled to have secured such a high-profile player, and a player who is so highly regarded in world cricket,” added Moody.Shaheen Shah Afridi said: “I am excited to join the Desert Vipers.“I know there are many Pakistan cricket fans in the UAE and I hope they will support our team in the upcoming ILT20.”The second edition of the ILT20 is scheduled to start on 13 January 2024.The Desert Vipers finished as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in January and February 2023.Among the players the Desert Vipers have retained from that first edition are English opening batter Alex Hales, who scored the competition’s first-ever individual hundred and finished as its leading run-scorer, and Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lanka wrist-spinner, the top wicket-taker in the past two editions of the ICC T20 World Cup.Further new signings for the Desert Vipers will be announced in due course.