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.”
