Desert Vipers sealed an easy victory with help of Alex Hales and Sam Billings’ mammoth partnership, with 20 balls remaining.

In a game braided with reviews, appeals, and missed opportunities, Desert Vipers emerged victorious with a thumping seven-wicket victory against Sharjah Warriors.

Vipers opened their account in the ILT20 as they rode on Alex Hales and Sam Billings’ steady 128-run partnership to beat the Moeen Ali-led side. Hales, meanwhile, was adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’ with his sublime 83 off 52.

Colin Munro’s Vipers won the toss and elected to field as the Warriors’ opening duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Evin Lewis walked onto the field. Gurbaz looked dangerous as he tonked a six and a boundary in the first two overs.

However, Evin Lewis walked back to the pavilion after getting caught at short fine leg, giving Vipers their first wicket. He walked back for a duck as Sheldon Cottrell brought up his salute celebration.

Gurbaz continued to fire, but Vipers again had a breakthrough. The Afghan was caught by keeper Sam Billings for a quickfire 22 off 15.

Tension loomed over the Dubai International Stadium for the first few overs as Dawid Malan was dropped by Rutherford as he attempted to smack a boundary. Also, Tom Kohler-Cadmore went off the pitch to hit the ball on the second last ball of the fifth over, which went for a boundary. The umpires later declared it a dead ball and no ball.

Kohler-Cadmore was looking to amp up the scoreboard with more reasons before the end of the powerplay, but ended up being dismissed by Rohan Mustafa at 5.3 overs.

At the end of the powerplay, the Warriors scored 40/3, with Moeen Ali and Malan at the crease.

Skipper Moeen tried his best to smack boundaries, but his time was cut short by Tymal Mills on the last ball of the tenth over with 18 off 16. Malan, too, was dismissed on the last ball of the 12th over for 18.

Excitement cropped in as Vipers took a review against Joe Denly in the 12th over after Billings thought there was an edge, but lost it.

Other than their inability to capitalize on the middle overs, the Warriors were on the edge as Denly was dropped at 15.3 overs by Adam Lyth off Atkinson on 10. The bowler tried to take matters into his own hands by attempting to dismiss Denly on 14 this time, two balls later, but failed.

Mohammad Nabi aided Denly’s efforts with two consecutive sixes, plus another boundary off Curran’s bowling. Cottrell saved the last ball of the innings by saving a boundary as Nabi continued to smack. Warriors wrapped up the innings with 145/5, with Denly at 36(33) and Nabi made 34(23).

It seemed like Vipers’ openers Alex Hales and Rohan Mustafa had the target of 146 set in their minds when they walked onto the field. The latter began with two promising fours until he was dismissed by Moeen Ali after being caught by Chris Woakes on the last ball of the first over at deep square leg. Alex Hales took strike to fire a four in the second over. The over ended gloomily for the Vipers as skipper Colin Munro walked back for a second-ball duck.

The third over began with excitement as the Warriors appealed against Alex Hales for LBW. The batter survived. He built some momentum with a few fours in the fourth and fifth over and later smoked a boundary and two sixes to end the powerplay in style at 52/2.

The next few overs were steady as Vipers needed an easy 65 off 60 at the end of 10 overs. Alex Hales was a set batter now, with an established 50 off 39 balls. On the other end, Sam Billings provided an impetus but was not as charged up as Hales, who hit a game-changing 22 runs in the 15th over. Even though Billings was forced to depart with one less than his fifty in the 17th over, Hales hit the winning runs to seal the Vipers’ first victory and hand the Warriors their second loss in the tournament.

Brief Scores:Sharjah Warriors 145/5 in 20 overs (J Denly 36, M Nabi; N Howell 1/23) lost to Desert Vipers 148/3 in 16.4 overs (A Hales 83, S Billings 49; C Woakes 1/48)

UAE Under-19 spin-bowling all-rounder Dhruv Parashar has been named as a replacement player for the Desert Vipers’ DP World ILT20 campaign, replacing his injured UAE U-19 teammate Ronak Panoly.Ronak Panoly’s left shoulder injury restricts his ability to field, which means he would not be able to operate at the capacity necessary for the tournament.Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody expressed his disappointment for Ronak and said: “Obviously a big setback for him. He was full of excitement as you would expect as an exciting young player out of the UAE, to join the Desert Vipers. But unfortunately, from a fitness standpoint, and for his own assurance to get his shoulder back in order the decision was made to release him.“Ronak will stay with the squad to receive treatment and to feel part of the group. He is an impressive young man, and we hope to see him back in future editions of the tournament.”Commenting on Panoly’s replacement, Moody added: “Dhruv Parashar is an excellent replacement, and we are fortunate to be able to call on him.“He was a part of the Desert Vipers UAE trial held in October last year, and both Head Coach James Foster and I had an opportunity to see him in action then. Dhruv was highlighted as a player we wanted to keep an eye on. He impressed us at the trial, and he looks a natural. With ball in hand or bat in hand he looks like someone who can play a role immediately, but also, he has a lot of upside which is exciting.“He is a truly talented youngster, and we welcome him to our side and wish him the very best for his journey here at the Desert Vipers camp.”Dhruv Parashar was an outstanding player for the UAE U-19 team and was the joint second-highest wicket-taker for his team with eight wickets at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup held in the West Indies early last year.Among his achievements was a player of the match award in the UAE’s Plate final victory over Ireland, with a contribution of 2-15.Earlier in the tournament Parashar had taken a four-wicket haul, helping the UAE to an 82-run victory over the West Indies to book a place in the Plate final.So how exciting is it for Dhruv to be a late addition to the Desert Vipers squad. The player said: “Honestly it is like a dream come true. I am so thrilled to be a part of this franchise and amongst such a great bunch of people. Both the support staff and the players have been so warm and welcoming. There is lots to learn and if I get an opportunity I need to try and contribute as much as I can for the team to win, both on and off the field. Whatever it may take. It is just a wonderful opportunity for me.”The Desert Vipers first match of the tournament is on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium versus the Sharjah Warriors. Tickets are still available on platinum list. To buy tickets to the ILT20 Matches in the UAE please click on this link:https://dubai.platinumlist.net/DesertVipersFor interviews with a host of Desert Vipers players and support staff be sure to tune into our team podcast – Vipers Voices. This be accessed via Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and other major podcast outlets.

The Desert Vipers open their DP World ILT20 campaign on Sunday when they take on the Sharjah Warriors at the Dubai International Stadium; the match starts at 6 pm local time. In an interview to Vipers Voices, Captain Colin Munro said the team was well prepared and excited to put their plans into action.Here are some excerpts from the interview with Colin Munro:Question:Is everyone fit and available?Colin Munro:“As far as I know, yes, everyone is fit and ready to go.”Question:Are you clear on what your top order is going to be?Colin Munro:“Yes very clear, especially for the first few games. We definitely want to give the people at the top of the order the opportunity to go out there and play. We know it is not going to be very easy. We have seen some movement last night in that game and with the smart ball, we saw some swing in the warm up game a couple of nights ago. It is not going to be an easy task up front, the person who gets that chance will get a few games to go out there with Alex Hales, that’s for sure.”Question:Matheesha Pathirana has arrived and was at training today, what are your impressions of him?Colin Munro:He has got a really unique action, and I have played with him in the past at the T10 before he got injured. He has come out today and shown us what he has got and was bowling with some good pace.”Question:Dhruv Parashar has come in as a replacement for the injured Ronak Panoly, you had a chance to chat with him before the nets session, what are your impressions of him, you must be glad to have him on board?Colin Munro:“Yes, every time we get a young UAE player who is keen to learn, and get better, it is very exciting for him and for the team. Not sure where he fits into the puzzle yet, but I faced him today and he has got some good skills, with the ball as an off-spinner, and he has got a little bit of variation. He bats middle to late order, so you never know what can happen later on in the tournament.”Question:What about the atmosphere in the camp, it seems very positive?Colin Munro:“Yes, it is positive and nice and relaxed (mood in the camp). It is like Fozzy (James Foster), and I want it. We are here to play cricket, and to win, but we are also here to have fun along the way too. We do that at training, and we do that away from cricket as well. I think we have got a great little environment at the moment, and we will keep building on it. We have a few things (planned)after game one, to build that team atmosphere and environment a bit more.”Question:You have a large squad, but only eleven can play. What about those that won’t play? That is tough, given the depth and quality you have in the squad?Colin Munro:“ Yes, it is probably the hardest part about being a leader, is letting the boys know they are not going to play. I have been around to a fair few of the boys, and many of them knew already, based on the make-up of the nets session. But I told them that even if they were not playing, same as Ronak, they should make sure they learn from every aspect of how a professional team goes about it (their business). They can take it back, to the Associate cricket (teams) or back to their clubs or wherever they are playing.“Yes, it is tough, we have some world class players who are going to be sitting on the bench, but I am a firm believer that eleven players win the game, on the night but it is the squad and the mentality of the squad that wins championships.”Question:The smart ball seemed to swing quote a bit in your warm up game against the Gulf Giants, what is your impression of the smart ball, and how do you think it will be in this tournament?Colin Munro:“It is a funny one, and I know that Sheldon Cottrell swings the new ball with whatever ball he is playing with, but (even) Tymal Mills swung one (during the practice game), and he said he had not swung the ball in about four or five years. It is exciting for him and for those wanting to see fours and sixes, but if you bring the ball into the game and it does a little bit, (I should not be saying that as a batsman) it brings a bit of parity into the game. We do know the ball has moved a little bit more, and if it does, we just have to adapt to conditions, just like we do at stadiums, and the ball probably plays a part too.Question:What about you? Are you in a happy place? That innings you played in the warm up game was remarkable, 46 in 15 balls. You were hitting it everywhere. Is everything looking good for you?Colin Munro:“Yes, for me it is quite refreshing to come to a tournament and not worry too much about my performance. Obviously, I am here to score runs and win, but a huge part of me being here is for me to captain the squad, and to try and bring the best out of the eleven players, and the other players who are in the squad.So, if I can take the pressure off me, having to score runs all the time, and look after the squad and make sure everyone is happy, then I can go into games nice and fresh and worry about that later on.”

The DP World International League T20 is just a few days away from kicking off and the inaugural batch of Desert Vipers have assembled in UAE. The coaching staff headed by Director of Cricket Tom Moody and head coach James Foster have picked a squad with a great mix of youth and experience.

The star power of Colin Munro, Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Wanindu Hasaranga and a host of other T20 stars form a strong core for the Vipers. Amidst these big names, there are some young talents who are keen on using this platform to make a name for themselves.

Here are four youngsters from the Vipers’ contingent who could set the stage on fire in the inaugural edition of ILT20.

Ali Naseer (UAE)

The Vipers acquired another upcoming batting all-rounder in UAE cricket in Ali Naseer, who featured in the U19 World Cup last year as well, alongside Panoly. He scored 150 runs at an impressive strike rate of 106.38, including half-centuries against England U19 and Canada U19.

He also picked up three wickets with his medium pace in these six matches at an economy of 4.82. Naseer can take up the lower middle order duty for the Vipers and slot in a few overs if needed, like he did for UAE U19.

Rubel Trumpelmann (Namibia)

Namibian cricketer Rubel Trumpelmann made his international debut in 2021 and is a handy operator with the new ball. He has an impressive economy of 6.62 after representing the African nation in 19 matches, and picked up 12 wickets.

Trumpelmann also packs a punch at No. 8 and is capable of churning out some cameos. The fast bowling all-rounder has shown the potential to be a match-winner when needed for the side.

Gus Atkinson (England)

At 6 foot 2 inches, Gus Atkinson challenges the batters with his extra bounce and had an impressive outing in the T20 Blast 2022, picking up 11 wickets in six matches for Surrey at a terrific average of 14.55. The English pacer means business with the ball and has picked up 33 wickets in 23 T20s so far.

Atkinson featured in the Abu Dhabi T10 League recently for Northern Warriors and garnered great experience of bowling in the UAE conditions.

Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lanka)

With a Malinga-esque bowling action, Matheesha Pathirana already made his mark in world cricket. The Lankan fast bowler appeared in the ICC U19 World Cup 2022, where he picked up seven wickets in four matches at an average of 27.28 and went on to make his debut for Sri Lanka in T20Is later that year.

Pathirana was roped in by Chennai Super Kings as a replacement for Adam Milne in the IPL 2022 and in his debut against Gujarat Titans, he dismissed Shubman Gill. He became the ninth cricketer in IPL to pick up a wicket off the first ball of his career and is certainly a talent to keep your eyes on when he dons the Vipers jersey.

The first edition of the DP World International League T20 is all set to get underway on Friday, January 13, 2023.

With some eye-catching fixtures promising raining fours and sixes, the DP World ILT20 is anticipated to keep the fans on their toes throughout the month-long competition.

A star-studded Desert Vipers will open their campaign against Sharjah Warriors on January 15 at the Dubai International Stadium followed by a match against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders three days later on January 18 at the same venue.

The Colin Munro-led side will take on Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for the second game on the trot on January 20, this time at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium.

As the momentum sets in, the Vipers will look to get the better of Gulf Giants (January 22), MI Emirates (January 24) and Dubai Capitals (January 28) in an attempt to inch closer to the knockout stages.

A mix of young blood and experience will don the Vipers’ jersey, looking to bag the trophy in the inaugural season.

Led by Colin Munro, who has a plethora of experience playing franchise cricket across the globe, Desert Vipers boast a roster with the likes of big-hitter Alex Hales, left-arm paceman Sheldon Cottrell, proven wicket-taker Wanindu Hasaranga among other stars.

The local boys, namely Rohan Mustafa, Sheraz Ahmad, Ali Nasser and Ronak Panoly will hope to put forward an impressive display to register positive results for the Vipers.

The final four fixtures will be crucial for the Desert Vipers as the race for playoffs will intensify with each run and each wicket to play for.

Beginning with MI Emirates (January 29), the franchise will lock horns with Sharjah Warriors (January 31), Dubai Capitals (February 2) and Gulf Giants (February 4) to conclude the league phase.

All the timings are in UAE Standard Time.