The Desert Vipers maintained their winning start to this season’s DP World ILT20 with a fifth victory in five starts, this time against the Gulf Giants, with an eight-wicket win at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday night. 

Player of the match Khuzaima Bin Tanveer ripped a hole in the Giants’ top-order with a sensational new-ball spell, capturing four for 10.

And although the Giants rallied through Asif Khan (36 not out) and Liam Dawson (38 not out from 14 balls), their final total of 157 for seven proved comfortably within the Vipers’ range.

Max Holden, opening in place of the injured Andries Gous, made an unbeaten 64 from only 41 balls, and he shared a superb, unbroken stand of 123 for the third wicket with Sam Curran (67 not out from 43 balls) as the team eased home with 19 balls in hand.

The Vipers are now four points clear of the second-placed Giants in the league table and are next in action on Sunday the 14^th of December, again at the Dubai International Stadium, when they face the Dubai Capitals, starting at 6.30pm.

That game is the Vipers’ Sustainability Match when they seek to shine a light on green issues.

Match Scores: 

Toss: Desert Vipers 

Gulf Giants: 157/7(20 overs)

Top scorer: Liam Dawson 38 not out (14 balls); 

Khuzaima Bin Tanveer four for 10.

Desert Vipers: 1658/2 (16.5 overs)

Top scorers: Sam Curran 67 not out (43) and Max Holden 64 not out (41 balls).

Match Result: Desert Vipers won by 8 wickets

Player of the Match: Khuzaima Bin Tanveer  

Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match vodcast and podcast featuring Desert Vipers top order batter Max Holden:

On scoring his first fifty of this season’s tournament:

“I was really pleased to contribute. I got a few in the MI Emirates game, (but was) obviously dismissed in interesting circumstances (when I was retired out for 42).

“I had a couple of days to digest what went on and refocus myself and I was really pleased (with how I played tonight). I found a bit more rhythm out there tonight and I was pleased to be able to see the job home and be there at the end.”

On batting with Sam Curran:

“He is obviously a great guy to bat with. He has a lot of experience and we have played a fair amount of cricket together, being the same age, growing up playing each other quite a lot and playing a bit of (England) under-19s together so we have known each other for quite a long time.

“I have played against him loads of times when he has played for Surrey and I have seen him play innings like that a fair few times in The Hundred and in the T20 Blast back home.

“It was great to be at the other end this time. He is really cool and composed, he knows exactly what he is doing, he waits for his match-up (such as when he hit three sixes off Liam Dawson) and when it is his time then he can take a bowler down.

“It was great to be at the other end and it was nice that we managed to see the job home together.”

On Khuzaima Bin Tanveer:

“He was fantastic. He has been superb all tournament so far with bat and ball. He is someone who stands up time and time again and tonight that was as good as it gets really, he did not really seem to miss his mark.

“He was steaming in and the other guys were backing him up as well, so it was a fantastic first ten overs. Maybe we did not quite finish the job as we would have liked, but sometimes that is the way it goes, and the opposition are allowed to play well as well.

“I think the way we chased the runs showed it was a good wicket and, thanks to ‘Khuzzy’ we did a lot of the hard work early on in that bowling innings to restrict them to a very chaseable target.”

On a perfect start to the tournament with five wins from five matches:

“We are a very experienced team and we know what we want to achieve. We have been setting out like all the other teams to win the tournament but it is obviously too early to think about that.

“There are still five more group games and we will be just be doing what we have done all tournament, which is take each game as it comes.

“We will prepare well for the Dubai Capitals next up and focus as hard as we can on each game. We have got a really good, well-rounded squad so hopefully guys at different points keep sticking their hands up.

“We will keep striving to improve. We have experienced players who set high standards and we will keep demanding more individually and as a team. We are still a long way from our goal and we will keep working to achieve it.”

The Desert Vipers next play the Dubai Capitals in the annual Sustainability Match on Sunday, December the 14th, at the Dubai International Stadium starting at 6:30 pm. 

Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody has said the team will not be looking to replace injured USA wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous, who suffered a calf injury in the side’s previous match, against MI Emirates. 

Speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast, Moody said he was confident Gous would be back in action soon.

“We will not be looking at a replacement, but we are hopeful that it is going to be a ten-to-fourteen-day turnaround,” he said. “I know Nirm (Nirmalan Thanabalasingam), our physio, and Daz (Veness), our strength and conditioning trainer, will be working very hard to get him back on track.

“He is in superb hands. Here at JA The Resort we have got great facilities with regards to supporting recovery, whether it be getting into the pools or getting into the ocean itself and accelerating that recovery.”

As Andries Gous recovers from injury, Moody said Scotland and former New Zealand top-order batter Tom Bruce would fill in the Associate player role. But he added discussion on who would open in place of Gous remained undecided.

“We have certainly got options,” said Moody. “I have not sat down with the Head Coach James Foster to actually discuss what he thinks around how we are going to manage that gap. 

“Tom Bruce will come into the team because you have got to play that Associate player, which is brilliant from our perspective because Tom Bruce is a high-quality player and he will welcome the opportunity. And he has come from quite a bit of cricket (in New Zealand), so it is not like he is coming out of the cold.”

Andries Gous’ injury on Tuesday required the talented UAE player Vriitya Aravind to step in to the wicketkeeper role against the MI Emirates and he made a winning contribution in the last ball run-out of AM Ghazanfar which secured the victory.

And Moody, an ICC Cricket World Cup winner with Australia in 1987 and 1999, said Vriitya was a joy to have around the team environment.

“He was very much on our radar when it came to the auction,” he admitted. 

“I remember in the very first year we were very keen to secure his services here at Desert Vipers, which we unfortunately did not get at that point. But three years on we have managed to get him into our squad and I think evidence in the last game shows exactly why we were keen on him.

“Vriitya is a great team man and a versatile cricketer. Yes, his natural setting is at the top of the order (as a batter), but that is quite common in these environments where your best players tend to bat in the top order in their local cricket.  

“But when you come up a level (to a tournament like the DP World ILT20) that ability to adapt and bat in different positions and have different roles is really important and it is also important for his development as well.

“The other aspect is that he is an absolute jet in the field, so he does not necessarily need to keep. He has been our best fielder when he has been in the field and when he had to take over with the gloves in the last game, it was a seamless transition. He was superb.

“His glove work to Noor Ahmed was unbelievable, considering he has had very little exposure to keeping to bowlers of that nature. And the clutch moment came at the very last ball, when he executed the run-out.”

With four wins from four games, the natural tendency would be to start looking ahead to the team’s chances of making it to the play-offs. But Moody believed it was too early to make those predictions.

“It would be a foolish mistake if we do (look too far ahead),” he said. “To me, our focus needs to be striving to play our best cricket. And I think we are operating at about 60 to 70 percent (of our capacity) at the moment.

“So, I would not be even looking at the (league) table from a team perspective. I would be looking purely at how we are going to find that extra 30 to 40 per cent to play our perfect game.

“That needs to be our focus rather than looking at the outcome of where we finish in the table. I think we keep it very much in our own control. I think that thought process would put us in a good position come the end of the tournament.”

Looking ahead to Friday’s match against the Gulf Giants, whom the Vipers beat through a super over on Monday night, Moody said the squad and coaching staff were only too aware of the challenge the Giants posed.

“There are a lot of learnings from the first game that we played against them, and they are a strong side,” he. said. “In saying that, when I look at all the teams in this tournament, I think it is a very balanced tournament when you look at it purely on paper.

“The Giants are a threat, there is no question. (Pathum) Nissanka is a very fine player, so it will be interesting to see whether he is in a position to return to the team (after injury). I think he is a massive loss if that is the case, purely because of the form that he offers, the quality he provides and his impact in the power play.

“We know we need to manage risk against this opposition, but we also need to manage the conditions in Dubai. The exciting opportunity for us is getting back to Dubai and understanding exactly how we bowl and how we need to bat during the different phases of that contest.”

The Desert Vipers continued their unbeaten run with a thrilling last ball one-run win over MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi. MI Emirates won the toss and chose to bowl, making it the first time in Season 4 that the Vipers were batting first, and they scored 159 for four. Max Holden top scored with 42 while Fakhar Zaman made a 31-ball 35 at the top of the order.

The MI Emirates looked in control of the chase for long periods before Player of the Match David Payne turned the match on its head with three wickets in the penultimate over.

It went down to the wire as MI Emirates needed 16 in the last over and Rashid Khan took the fight to the Vipers hitting a six off Khuzaima Bin Tanveer and then a four which went through keeper Vriitya Aravind’s legs. 

But the young wicketkeeper sealed the win when he pulled off a sharp run-out off the final delivery. 

The side’s record now reads: played four; won four.

Match Scores: 

Toss: MI Emirates  

Desert Vipers: 159/4 (20 overs)

Top scorer: Max Holden 42 (37 deliveries)

MI Emirates: 158/9 (20 overs)

Top scorer: Tom Banton 34 (29 deliveries)

Match Result: Desert Vipers won by one run

Player of the Match:  David Payne 4/29

Here are quotes from player of the match David Payne:

On a second narrow win in successive days:

“We do not seem to make it that easy for ourselves, do we? (We have) good games for the neutral I guess you could say!

“I felt like, after my second over (which cost 15 runs) I needed to contribute to the game because I felt like I had let the boys down, so whether that was a catch or a piece of fielding I felt I needed to contribute there.

“So, to get the opportunity in the nineteenth over (was what I wanted). I was just trying to keep the plan simple and I was really pleased I could do something right at the end.

On whether he thought the Vipers total of 159 for four was a good score:

“I thought our batters played it really well. It would have been easy to have tried to go too hard and we could have been seven, eight or nine (wickets) down going into the backend of the innings. 

“We kept wickets in hand and saw Hettie (Shimron Hetmyer) hit a few to boost our total and at halfway I thought we had given ourselves a really good chance (of winning).

On the last-ball run-out by wicketkeeper Vriitya Aravind that sealed the victory:

“What a moment at the end for (Vriitya) – he will remember that forever, I am sure.

“To be the man to hit the stumps with two to win (was exceptional). The amount of times I have seen that happen and the ball miss the stumps (is numerous). I think everyone thought that it was going to be a super over as a minimum so Vriitya was fantastic.

And what about the drama of that final over?

“That last over was a rollercoaster. They started it wanting 16 so we were feeling fairly confident at that point. Then to get it down to 12 off three (balls) and you’re probably thinking we had got it in the bag.

“But with players like Rashid Khan at the crease and the world-class players we have in this tournament, games are never over until they are over.

“I thought Khuzaima was brilliant because it was such a high pressure over for him to bowl and Rashid Khan is a handy player. 

“Khuzzy had the shorter leg-side boundary to defend and that was exactly what Rashid was looking to target.

“Khuzzy did so well to hold his line and mix up his pace and that is exactly what he did with that last ball. I think everyone was expecting a yorker so for him to use his slower ball tricked everyone and probably led to the run-out.

On Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, who now has six wickets in four matches:

“I thought Khuzaima was brilliant last year. When I saw him bowl then I thought ‘Wow, this is a superstar in the making.’ He has improved on that this year and is bowling fantastically well. He is such an important part of our attack and today he put in a brilliant performance.”

On captain Lockie Ferguson’s first match of the season:

“I thought he did well in his first game back. All bowlers will know what it is like to come back from a long rehab. You do all you can in the nets but there is nothing like being out in the middle.

“I am sure his body will be sore tonight but I thought the skipper was fantastic – he always is – and he led the team brilliantly.”

The Desert Vipers next play the Gulf Giants on Friday, December 12th, starting at 6:30 pm.

Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now available here

The Desert Vipers became a part of DP World ILT20 history on Monday night, as they participated in and won the first ever super over of the tournament. 

Set a target of 180 to win by the Gulf Giants, the Desert Vipers got off to a shaky start, and it was up to the middle order to balance the innings out. This was a role played ably by stand-in captain Sam Curran and Player of the Match Dan Lawrence. Curran scored 44 and Lawrence finished with 56. 

And while this pair was unable to finish the job, the Vipers tail conspired to force a super over. For the Vipers, after Lawrence and Shimron Hetmyer had scored 13, that over was bowled by the very talented and highly skilled Naseem Shah.

The Pakistani fast bowler later said he had already been in the ice bath and begun cooling down as no one had imagined the possibility of additional action. 

But Naseem did get back on the field with his team-mates and bowled a sensation over under high pressure to deliver for his team a successful outcome. 

Match Scores: 
Toss: Desert Vipers 

Gulf Giants: 179/5 (20 overs)
Top scorer: Pathum Nissanka 56 (29 deliveries)

Desert Vipers: 179/9 (20 overs)
Top scorer: Dan Lawrence 56 (31 deliveries)

Match Result: Desert Vipers won through the super over. 

Player of the Match: Dan Lawrence

Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match vodcast and podcast featuring Desert Vipers stand-in captain Sam Curran:

On the close finish and the Desert Vipers finishing on the winning side after the first ever super over in the DP World ILT20 :

“It is one of those games where we fell on the right side of it. But it is a really good sign, I think, for our team. I think we are still way off our best.

“I think those super overs have got to be quite tactical, I guess. We thought the left-right (combination) with Hetty (Shimron Hetmyer) and Dan (Lawrence) was the right option.

“We obviously did not know who they were going to bowl so it was a case of who was going to show their cards first.

“Dan had a beautiful strike (for six), and he scored a couple of twos. And I think a score of 13 or 14 is obviously a really good one. The wicket was a little bit on the slower side. And then Naseem was great. He held his nerve after a tough first ball. But what a game of cricket.

“What a great game for the tournament as well. And it is never nice losing those super overs. But to win, it is obviously a nice little feeling.

“I think we have still got a lot of areas of our game we want to get better. But to be sitting at three wins out of three obviously brings great confidence for the team and the environment. But we will be straight back into action tomorrow.”

On how the run chase of 180 to win became quite difficult after some early wickets were lost, and how he and Dan Lawrence had to step in and settle the innings:  

“I guess it has been the trend of probably our last couple of games where we have lost a couple of wickets really early. So Dan and I decided to just try to consolidate for five or six overs and try and give ourselves a platform, which I thought we did.

“And then I guess when we got to that stage where we really needed to pull the trigger I got out, which was frustrating. And then Dan had a couple of nice hits again to get his 50 and then Hetty (Hetmyer) added a couple of nice strikes. It always felt like we were just one or two hits away.

“Khuzi (Khuzaima bin Tanveer) struck a lovely six, and Ritzy (Vriitya Aravind) got a couple of twos that were crucial to get us that super over. So those are the small things that help you win these games or tie these games.

“I did feel like we had done really well to get that close, I guess. And then a super over is a little bit of luck in a way. But I am not complaining.”

On Dan Lawrence’s Player of the Match-winning knock of 56:

“He is striking the ball lovely. He has been playing really well the last couple of seasons, especially even in the summer with me back at Surrey. He got a lovely hundred from memory and he just has been striking the ball really well.

“It looks like his game is in really good place and he is confident and he is obviously bowling really well as well, which is great for the side. And I think he used his smarts tonight, picking the big side, small side and picking his bowlers. 

“And to get 50 off 30 on that wicket was a hell of a knock. He will be really pleased and hopefully it continues for us.”

On his own knock of 44:

“I have been a little bit scratchy the last few games, so when you get scores of 20s and 40s and when you are not feeling at your fluent best, these are good signs. I will take a bit of confidence from that.

“And hopefully again tomorrow night in Abu Dhabi, I can get going. I think we are three from three and the group is in a really good place, which is great because I do not actually feel like we are playing near our best at all.

“I think the coaching staff will agree and so will the players. So we will talk tonight, have a quick assess of where we can get better and turn around tomorrow”

On the team’s chances of doing well against MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday:

“I feel like this year the standard of players and the quality across all teams is good and everyone is getting used to the conditions. 

“MI are always a quality outfit and we obviously have got a quick turnaround.

“So the plan is to get to bed, have a good feed and then focus on them in the morning. It is our first game at Abu Dhabi this season and it is normally a great wicket.

“So, hopefully we can play really well. But I think the best thing is we focus on ourselves. We are confident at the moment and fingers crossed we can win again and go four from four.

“It is a process to do that and we are really looking forward to the challenge.”

The Desert Vipers next play the MI Emirates at the Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, December the 9th, starting at 6:30 pm.

Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now available here