This time we speak with returning fast bowling coach Azhar Mahmood. Azhar was with the franchise for the first two seasons of the tournament before switching to working with the Pakistan men’s team, but now he’s back and we caught up with him after he arrived at the team’s base at JA the Resort in Jebel Ali on the outskirts of Dubai.
Azhar is one of the very best in the business in his field of coaching fast bowlers and there are plenty for him to work with at the Vipers this season. There’s captain Lockie Ferguson, death-overs master David Payne, all-rounder Sanjay Pahal who was the player of the tournament in the ILT20 Development Tournament in August and September, plus newcomers Matiullah Khan and Faridoon Dawoodzai, as well as Sam Curran and Naseem Shah, the Pakistan pace ace, amongst others.
Coming up we speak with Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody as players and staff start to assemble at the JA Resort in Jebel Ali ahead of the tournament.
Tom was in great form when we chatted, covering off a range of topics and it really is a chat that – as ever with Tom – is well worth your time.
There’s his take on the process of planning for the auction that happened at the start of October and, on top of that, we hear from him on the prospect of facing up to players that the franchise let go ahead of this season.
Desert Vipers captain Lockie Ferguson says the pressure is off UAE fast bowler Khuzaima bin Tanveer ahead of Season 4 of the DP World ILT20.
Khuzaima was one of the breakout stars of Season 3, taking four wickets on debut against the Sharjah Warriorz and being entrusted with the last over of the final against the Dubai Capitals.
He was an unknown quantity last season but now, after being retained by the Vipers ahead of the first-ever DP World ILT20 player auction, he is a player who comes into Season 4 with a high reputation.
That could bring with it expectation, but Ferguson said: “From our point of view there is no pressure.
“Khuzaima is an exceptional bowler regardless of the level of cricket he is playing in and his ceiling is so high.
“He has got such great abilities and his mindset around fast bowling is fantastic too.
“He is one of those players that is keen to learn and he just soaks it all in. Not only does he listen to what the leaders say around him but he also implements it pretty quickly.
“Last year I think he developed quickly through the tournament and I have been following his progress since and he has been doing well this season too.
“I am excited to see what he brings this year. Nothing needs to change from his point of view. He has got great skills, he is super accurate and he bowls quick – that is a pretty good mixture.
“Last season Khuzaima was fantastic coming into the group. He is a star for the area but also a star for the Desert Vipers and he has been developing very nicely over the past year so I will be interested to see how he goes this season.
“If I was to have a player to look out for this season then he would be that pick – doing well in the T10 this season too.
“I want him to enjoy it. I am looking forward to seeing how he goes.”
Khuzaima still has a year to go before he qualifies to play for the UAE but, in the meantime, he will have the chance to work alongside not only captain Ferguson once more but also Pakistan pace ace Naseem Shah.
That trio certainly offers plenty of food for thought for opposition batters and Ferguson said he was looking forward to working with Naseem and swapping tips and hints among the fast bowling cartel.
“I have played a lot against Naseem and I get very excited about guys who can bowl at 150 (kilometres per hour) so it is great to have him on our side,” he said. “He has got a lot of skills with the ball so I am sure he will have a lot of success in this tournament.
“People talk about the fast-bowling community but, in my experience, the people who have given me the most help along the way have been other fast bowlers – and it is not always team mates as well.
“I think there is a shared respect for the difficulty that comes with fast bowling but also the enjoyment factor to see fast bowlers do well.
“When I am working with young fast bowlers, regardless of whether I am playing with them, I will give them tips, I am always open to that – as other bowlers have been in my development phase.
“I think nothing will change with this group.
“I am very excited about the fast bowling group we have – we have got skills, left-hand, right-hand, pace, changes of pace, swing with David Payne, Sam Curran with changes of pace and inswing too.
“So, we have got it all and we just need to put those skills on the park.”
For the captain, the DP World ILT20 represents a chance to press his claim for an international recall after a year away from the New Zealand team. And it is perfect timing with the ICC men’s T20 World Cup coming up early next year in India and Sri Lanka.
Ferguson said that was certainly on his mind but, for now, his focus was all-in with the Desert Vipers.
“I love playing for New Zealand and I was disappointed not to play the home summer last season but I had an injury and that is part of the gig of bowling fast,” he said.
Ferguson: “Last season Khuzaima was fantastic coming into the group. He is a star for the area but also a star for the Desert Vipers and he has been developing very nicely over the past year so I will be interested to see how he goes this season.
“If I was to have a player to look out for this season then he would be that pick – doing well in the T10 this season too.”
“I am still in close contact with the team and if they want me, I definitely want to play.
“It is above my paygrade how that selection pans out. I am very much in my mind building towards that (T20 World Cup) as a real goal because I love playing for New Zealand and with that group of players it is just about as close as it gets to a family within cricket.
“With the success the Black Caps have had over a number of years, it would be nice to go all the way (in the T20 World Cup).
“There is plenty to look forward to but I am very much a game-by-game, tournament-by-tournament guy. I will get started here and my focus is on the Vipers.
“It is like a comfy slipper to be back here. We will start with the first game on Tuesday and go from there.”
And how does he think the Vipers will get on this term?
“Every team will be thinking optimistically about this tournament,” he said. “But from last year we have got the same core and the same coaching group so everything seems familiar.
“From there it is then on us to turn up for that first game and we then continue that attitude throughout the tournament. We prided ourselves on that last season.
“We do have a different looking team this year but it is exciting. We get the chance to work with new players and try to create something fresh this year.
“There were lots of positives to take from last year but we do start fresh this season and at training I felt the group seemed very motivated and we are really excited to get underway.”
The Desert Vipers are delighted to reveal their match kit for Season 4 of the DP World ILT20. As announced previously, the franchise has decided to play in green kit for the entire duration of the season to highlight their commitment to sustainability as a core brand value.
The new kit features a unique snakeskin pattern, the design of which is born from the team’s name and the aim is to throw a spotlight on nature, which is declining at an alarming rate worldwide.
The choice to incorporate green elements and a snakeskin motif reflects the franchise’s commitment to its People and Planet initiatives, aimed at reducing carbon emissions and actively protecting habitats and wildlife.
Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver said: “Our commitment to sustainability is not just a statement, it is something we choose to wear proudly and visibly. We are thrilled to step out on the field this season with a refreshed green kit that carries a striking snakeskin pattern symbolising both our identity and our responsibility.
“This kit design reflects who we are as a team; sustainable, innovative and determined to lead from the front. It also helps to reinforce our long-term vision to reduce our impact on the environment while playing a role in helping to improve biodiversity, people and the planet.
“As a team named after the remarkable viper, we believe we have a responsibility to shine a light on declining habitats and the wider loss of nature.
“Every time our players walk out in this kit, they will be representing not only the Vipers but sending out a bigger message, that sport can be a genuine force for positive change.”
This decision to play in green kit for the whole of Season 4 of the DP World ILT20 reflects the Desert Vipers’ desire to raise awareness of the existential challenge that cricket faces from climate change. In Season 3 the Desert Vipers’ partnership with local kit producers PALMFIT helped reduce emissions from that source by 66.1 percent through the use of recycled polyester, use of a local UAE manufacturer and by reducing production to minimise waste. This season further innovations have been made with the kit now manufactured from 100 percent recycled materials.
This time, with the clock ticking down towards the season-opener against the Dubai Capitals on Tuesday the 2nd of December, we speak with all-rounder Sam Curran.
Sam was the player of the tournament in Season 3 when the Vipers narrowly failed to lift the trophy, and coming up we have a relaxed and fascinating chat with a player who, off the back of his stellar season with the Vipers, was recalled to the England white-ball set-up at the end of the English season.
He spoke about his England recall, a reward for outstanding performances in not only last season’s DP World ILT20 but also for helping the Oval Invincibles to a third successive title in the men’s Hundred competition.
Sam also reflected on Season 3 and he talks very interestingly about whether or not his player of the tournament form last time around creates pressure to do it all again in the next month of action.
There’s also his thoughts on the rivalry with the Dubai Capitals and fellow all-rounder Gulbadin Naib, and he tells us about the slower ball he has developed that was such a hit in that Hundred tournament.
And on top of all that, Sam gives us his views on the Vipers’ chances for Season 4.
Desert Vipers all-rounder Sam Curran says excitement rather than any pressure of expectation is his overriding sensation coming into Season 4 of the DP World ILT20.
Sam was player of the tournament in Season 3, and the expectation that he could or should perform at that same level this time around might be seen as a potential inhibitor.
But far from viewing things in that way, Sam told the Vipers Voices podcast he was in a great frame of mind to do well again this term.
“Pressure could come from the expectation,” he said. “Expectation is always there but I think the key for me is the enjoyment factor is there with the Vipers – the franchise set-up is done really well.
“I am excited. I always have those nerves of excitement but it is a fantastic season ahead hopefully.
“Success last season gives me great confidence coming into a tournament like this, playing at the same grounds we played at back then.
“And for me it comes down to the idea of returning to a team and environment you know. I have had a nice bat and a bowl in our practice session (on Saturday morning) with coaches I know, like Azhar Mahmood, who is back (with the Vipers after missing Season 3) and who is someone who knows me really well (through our work together with Surrey) and I am feeling good for what lies ahead.”
Sam comes into the tournament off the back of a recall to the England white-ball set-up, thanks in part to his excellence for the Vipers last season.
And he could not have timed that recall any better, with the ICC men’s T20 World Cup coming up in India and Sri Lanka in early 2026.
But rather than thinking too far ahead, Sam said he was very much focused on what lay ahead with the Vipers in the DP World ILT20.
“(Being recalled by England) was a (personal) highlight of the summer and it was a nice way to finish that summer,” he said.
“It felt like I worked really hard to get back in that group and it was really special to go on that recent tour to New Zealand, have that England shirt back on and try and contribute to winning some games.
“I feel in a nice spot there and it is nice to be back in that environment, and hopefully I can keep pushing for my place in that side ahead of what is an exciting time after The Ashes, with the (ICC men’s) T20 World Cup.
“Ahead of that, there is no better way for me to go than to keep working on my game, improving and enjoying my cricket here with the Vipers.
“I am a man who takes my cricket one game at a time. The T20 World Cup is still a long way away and the Test side are in Australia playing in The Ashes so that is the big focus for England at the moment.
“For me, it is just a case of trying to keep on performing in the (DP World) ILT20, taking one game at a time, one week at a time.
“As the World Cup gets closer, then I might start thinking about it, but for now it is one game at a time and keep trying to win some games.”
A first win to target is the opener against the Dubai Capitals in a repeat of February’s final, a match the Vipers lost in heartbreaking fashion.
And Sam said he was really looking forward to renewing the rivalry with the Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
“Looking back on that final, it was a great game and I felt we dominated most parts of it,” he said.
“To fall a little bit short hurts a lot, especially when you lose those close games. But we play so many games of cricket that you have just got to learn from it. We have got to the final a couple of times and hopefully this year we can go that one step further and win the trophy.
“Hindsight (over what we could have done differently) is a wonderful thing. We had a really good score on the board and I thought we bowled really well. Then there was the stumping (that we thought we had) when Nathan Sowter was bowling and Rovman Powell, a quality player, (then) took it away from us.
“In the end, they were the winners but that gives a little bit more hunger and attitude to take it one step further this year.
“It will be great to face the Capitals again. I landed on Friday morning, began by chatting with (Director of Cricket) Tom Moody and (Head Coach) James Foster and we started to look ahead to that first game.
“For the Capitals to be the first game of the season is exciting. I think we played them four times last season and they are a quality team. So, two quality teams starting the new season here in Dubai will be fascinating.
“There will be a lot of people going into that game not sure how the wicket will play (as the tournament is taking place at a different time of year from usual), and how the two teams will stack up against each other.
“It is a rivalry of two good teams but the Capitals look very different from last season. We have made a few changes too but the set-up has done really well – and that is what good franchise teams do – to keep the nice core of players, coaches and management.”
One highlight of Season 3 was the ongoing rivalry between Sam and Capitals all-rounder Gulbadin Naib, and Sam said he was looking forward to going up against the former Afghanistan captain again this season.
“Gulbadin and I had some good banter on the field last season. He is a great cricketer and he had a fantastic tournament last season,” he said.
“Getting into the battle with all the players on the circuit like Gulbadin is something I love. It is very feisty on the pitch but it is all a bit of fun, making sure there is nothing overstepping the mark.
“I hope we have a good battle and hopefully we will see some fun coming across.”
And as for the Vipers chances of securing a first title this term, Sam was in positive mood as he looked ahead to the coming month of action.
“Looking at the teams, it seems that the tournament has got stronger in terms of the players that are coming here,” he said.
“Every team can have a good team on paper and in this case I think all teams do.
“We flew out of the blocks last season, won a lot of games and then fell at the final hurdle but we will learn from that.
“The tournament is unique in that the conditions at each ground are quite different and so a key is whoever adapts to the conditions best and gels as a team will do well.
“For us, I think we have a good vibe already around the team, the same coaching staff and the same core of the squad with a few nice additions, so I am extremely excited.”
This time, with the clock ticking down towards the season-opener against the Dubai Capitals on Tuesday the 2nd of December, we speak with all-rounder Sam Curran.
Sam was the player of the tournament in Season 3 when the Vipers narrowly failed to lift the trophy, and coming up we have a relaxed and fascinating chat with a player who, off the back of his stellar season with the Vipers, was recalled to the England white-ball set-up at the end of the English season.
He spoke about his England recall, a reward for outstanding performances in not only last season’s DP World ILT20 but also for helping the Oval Invincibles to a third successive title in the men’s Hundred competition.
Sam also reflected on Season 3 and he talks very interestingly about whether or not his player of the tournament form last time around creates pressure to do it all again in the next month of action.
The Desert Vipers are pleased to confirm Balqis Capital as Associate Sponsor, Private Credit Services and Balqis Elite as Associate Sponsor, Concierge Services. This is an extension of an already successful collaboration which began in season three of the DP World ILT20.
The Balqis Capital logo and the Balqis Elite logo will appear on the team’s training and playing jerseys, and their branding will appear on the in-stadia big screens in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah and on the perimeter advertising boards at these venues during Vipers matches.
During the initial year of partnership, both brands collaborated extensively to advance their mutual mission of generating opportunities within and beyond the cricket arena.
This objective was achieved through organised networking events, such as the Golf Day, and the launch of an innovative cricket Talent Pathway Programme designed for emerging cricketers.
The Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver welcomed the renewed partnership with Balqis Capital and said: “We are delighted to continue our valuable relationship with Balqis Capital. In just one year we have already achieved so many important goals together.
“The Talent Pathway Programme, powered by Balqis Capital, has greatly contributed to our community engagement initiatives. Thanks to Balqis, we have given students a chance to train with the Desert Vipers’ top coaches and experience what it is like to be an international cricketer. Their support has brought to fruition a project that has been very important to the Desert Vipers.
“We look forward to building on this and so much more over the next twelve months.”
Balqis Capital provides investors, introducers and institutional partners with access to carefully designed opportunities that combine attractive fixed returns with real-asset backing.
The company has a passion for sport with a special interest in backing athletes and supporting them financially, while also working with them on private credit projects to help set them up for a financially secure retirement.
Balqis Capital has recently launched a sports division – Balqis Elite, which also features on the Desert Vipers kit. Balqis Elite is an online luxury goods and concierge services destination, exclusively for sports professionals.
This pioneering platform has also been created for high net worth individuals to gain access to specially curated products and services. The collaboration with the Desert Vipers has been a catalyst for this venture.
Balqis Capital CEO Laura Mann said partnering with the Desert Vipers was a natural fit with the collaboration only set to grow.
She said: “Over the next year, our focus is on elevating the Talent Pathway to become the most prestigious academy of its kind anywhere in the world. We want to give young players access to world-class coaching, facilities and mentors, and create a clear pathway for emerging talent to break into the elite game. Our ambition is to help shape the next generation of cricketers by providing opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.”
Azhar Mahmood, the Desert Vipers fast bowling coach for Season 4 of the DP World ILT20, is backing the Pakistan trio of Naseem Shah, Hassan Nawaz and Fakhar Zaman to have a major impact in this season’s tournament.
Azhar has returned to the franchise after missing Season 3 while working with the Pakistan men’s team – and that meant he saw plenty of Naseem, Hassan and Fakhar.
And he told the Vipers Voices podcast that the three players can be major contributors as the team goes in search of its maiden title.
Starting with fast bowler Naseem, who Azhar worked closely with on national duty, he said: “He has ability and skill. With the new ball, he can swing it up front with good pace and for the last year or so he has become much better as a white-ball bowler.
“He is a fixture now for Pakistan in the white-ball team and he is bowling really well.
“We saw him in the Caribbean Premier League and he was bowling in excess of 145 kilometres per hour, which is a really good sign and now he has vast experience and is understanding his game a bit more.
“He is a great addition to our squad.”
Like Naseem, Hassan Nawaz is all set to play in the DP World ILT20 for the first time off the back of a remarkable year that saw him make his international debut in the format and score a century in only 45 balls against New Zealand.
And Azhar said Hassan’s versatility with the bat offered the Vipers some great options this season.
“Hassan Nawaz is a very exciting young cricketer. He can change the game in no time and he likes to take the bowlers on,” he said. “He has batted throughout his career opening the innings but Pakistan use him in the middle order and that gives us the option to do the same.
“It means he is a very adaptable young player – and also a terrific talent.”
The final player of that Pakistan trio, Fakhar Zaman, is no stranger to the Vipers, having been part of the team in Season 3, and Azhar said the left-handed opener was a leader on and off the pitch.
“Fakhar is a match-winner and he also knows and understands the game really well now and he can adapt his game according to the situation in front of him.
“He will take younger players with him too because of the way he is and that is a good sign too,” he added.
Azhar’s return to the Vipers means he will have the opportunity to work with one of the break-out stars of Season 3, fast bowler Khuzaima bin Tanveer, who is still qualifying to play for the UAE.
Khuzaima was retained by the franchise off the back of his excellent form in the previous edition of the tournament and Azhar said he was looking forward to his interactions with the player.
“I watched Khuzaima closely last season and he has got raw pace,” he said.
“I have never worked with him but it may well be that my main input with him might be over tactical things because I have seen he is a wonderful prospect to become a really wonderful fast bowler.”
One bowler Azhar knows all about already is Sam Curran, a player he worked with for many years at English county side Surrey.
Since the last edition of the DP World ILT20, Sam has returned to the England white ball set-up through the strength of his performances and Azhar said having someone of Sam’s quality in the dressing room – a player who has developed a superb slower ball – was a huge bonus.
“I am really happy for Sam because he is a hardworking cricketer and I am really grateful he has come back into that England squad,” he said.
“Sam is a match-winner whether he has a bat in his hand, a ball or even in the field, and his presence in the dressing room gives a lot of others in the dressing room motivation to succeed.
“Sam is a guy you can throw the ball to in tough situations and the same is true with the bat as he won a lot of games for the Vipers last season with the bat.
“His slower ball is a ball to make batters make mistakes, it is coming out with a dip at the end and with no change in arm speed. It is a great addition to his armoury.”
Explaining his philosophy as a bowling coach, Azhar added: “Sometimes in the T20 format you can go for runs but it is really important how you bounce back.
“Every bowler has different requirements and I need to see what each of them needs. Some may need a technical tweak and some may want a tactical chat.
“It is all about confidence and how bowlers bounce back in this format – both after a good performance and a bad performance.
“My philosophy as a bowling coach is simple: you cannot control the ball you have bowled already but you can control the ball you are going to bowl next. That is what is most important.
“Stick to your basics and keep it simple.”
Azhar said he was delighted to return to the franchise and was positive what the season ahead had in store.
“It is great to be back with the Vipers again and it feels like home to me,” he said.
“I went away for international duty with Pakistan but now an opportunity has come for me, I am back here and delighted to be back.
“The franchise is all about great people and a great environment, the franchise has a very professional way of working and a strong culture here. I have worked with these (Desert Vipers) coaches before; I know a lot of the players and so it is very good to be back.
“As a team, we have experience and we have a lot of skills in this dressing room but we have not won this tournament and, for me winning the tournament is the most important thing this year.
“What we need to win is calmness, focus and bravery – and, under pressure, how we cope with tough situations.
“If we stay calm and do our basics well then I think we will be fine.”
Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody has said the idea of revenge will not be on the agenda when his side take on the Dubai Capitals in the DP World ILT20 opener next Tuesday.
The Capitals beat the Vipers in a thrilling final in Season 3 of the tournament in February, but Moody said that focusing on the result of that match as an incentive to perform well this time around would be counterproductive.
“I think it would be a massive mistake if we consider it as revenge because that would mean we are focusing on the wrong thing,” Moody told the Vipers Voices podcast.
“They (the Dubai Capitals) are going to have a side that is quite different. I know there is a little bit of rivalry between these two teams and I quite like that, but the reality is that if we are focusing on things that are not in our control we will fall over before we have even taken our first step.
“It is more about getting off to a positive start with our campaign, it is about making sure we understand how we want to be playing and then measuring ourselves on that (rather than thinking about revenge).”
Moody said that although the four-wicket loss at the Dubai International Stadium hurt, there was little point in getting too caught up in thinking about it ahead of the new campaign.
“Defeat always stings; there is no question about that,” he said. “But I have learnt over my professional life, both as a player and in coaching and director of cricket roles that you cannot dwell too much in the past because that affects your next step in life and that next step has to be a positive step.
“You have to be lazer-focused to win the next contest and if you are dwelling on too many negatives then you find yourself caught in a bit of a spiral and that is not a healthy place to be when every competition or innings is that new opportunity to chart a new, positive direction in what you are doing.”
The first fixture is, of course, a chance for the Vipers to claim an opening victory, something the franchise did in Seasons 1 and 3, and on both occasions the Vipers reached the final of the tournament.
But Moody cautioned against placing too much store by one result when set against the bigger picture of ten games ahead of the play-offs.
“In a lot of franchise tournaments ‘momentum’ is a word that is used a lot,” he said. “It means getting early wins which gives you confidence, but I would hate to think that is something we are relying on as a gauge to discover whether or not we are going to be successful.
“I have been engaged in a number of tournaments where teams have lost the first three games, let alone the first one. Chennai Super Kings once came from the bottom of the table (in the Indian Premier League) to win that tournament.
“Achieving something like that can only be done if you are balanced in the way you view success and failure. We all want to win every game, there is no question about that, but we also know the reality of sport means that is not possible.
“If you are clear as a franchise about how you want to go about your business then that success will come.
“But do I want to win the first game? Of course I do!”
Playing the first match of the tournament was something Moody said he was happy about.
“I would rather get into the tournament than watching two or three other teams get their first game away while we are waiting,” he said.
“The sooner you can get up and running the better as it allows your players to get into the tournament rather than have an anxious wait. Players want to play and you can be sure we will be prepared come the first match.”
And what do the Vipers need to do to turn last season’s near miss into silverware this time around?
“I think the first one percent, or maybe more, is to not overthink it,” Moody said. “Too often teams and management try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to focusing on the end goal, and that is to win a trophy.
“To me, winning that trophy only comes about by being very good at focusing on the process that leads to that opportunity, and I feel that the process, even though the second season was a poor one by our standards, is something that this franchise has absolutely nailed down.
“That process involves getting the right personnel both on and off the field, it involves getting the right leadership around the group both on and off the field, and it also involves creating the environment where players from all walks of life and societies can come in and feel welcome.
“If you nail those things then you are well prepared professionally, and when you add in your research on the opposition and knowing the brand of cricket you want to play – and your ability to adapt that brand according to conditions and situations – then you are well set.
“I do not think there is a lot we need to change. I think we need to keep doing a lot of what we have already been doing, make new players feel as welcome as possible and hopefully they can impact the group early on.”
