Desert Vipers newcomer Jason Roy says the side will not settle for mediocrity and will look to go into the play-offs with a win against Sharjah Warriorz in their final match of the league stages of the DP World ILT20.
The Vipers go into that game knowing they can create history as the first team in tournament history to win eight matches in the regular season.
And ICC Cricket World Cup-winning England batter Roy told the Vipers Voices podcast that although a place in the top two of the six-team competition was locked in, the aim was still to win that next encounter on Friday the 26th of December.
“No doubt you want to win,” he said. “You want to go into those games with other teams thinking: ‘these guys do not lose’. I think that is a big contributing factor (to a team’s success).
“For a team to come into a play-off game, no matter which one it is, and for them to think, ‘the Desert Vipers have only lost two games (in the group stage).’ That (for us) is huge.
“I just get that feeling amongst the group that they will not settle for mediocrity. They do not settle for that idea of just going through the motions. This was true even for the back-to-back games last Saturday and Sunday.
“In the game on Sunday, the boys were fired up. We only got around 125 runs, and we came out in the field firing, pushing hard for that win. It did not go our way, but we still pushed for that win. And that was incredible to see because sometimes you can just rest on your laurels and just think it is ok (to lose) since we have qualified and go through the motions, lose the game in 14 overs and then crack on.
“But the boys pushed and pushed and pushed. So that was good to see.”
Roy, 35, arrived in Dubai on Saturday morning as a replacement for the injured West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer and was on the park for the Desert Vipers that evening, against his former side the Sharjah Warriorz.
Best known as an opening batter, Jason Roy was asked to adapt to a new role as finisher and he explained why that was not a problem.
“Obviously, a lot of T20 cricket has been played for me up at the top, batting at one, two or three. So, it was a conversation with Tom Moody where he asked if I would mind fitting in, in a finisher role, and I agreed immediately and went to work hard at adapting to that.
“So, on Sunday, before the game, I went to the nets and worked on a few bits, changed a couple of things, maybe tinkered with a few things. But to be honest with you, if the pitches are going to be the way they were (on Sunday), it is quite handy coming in there (as a finisher) because I can manipulate the strike, play well against the spin, and then go hard towards the end – not too different to what it is like opening the innings. You have just got to rebuild the innings a bit.
“I understand that I might not be a Rovman Powell or a Shimron Hetmyer that can hit sixes at will; I am a four-hitter with the odd six. So, I will not be trying to be something I am not. I think that is really important. I think that goes throughout the batting order. Do not be something you are not.
“Especially, in that middle order, I know I cannot come in and try and pretend to be Kieron Pollard. I just have to bat my own way, and find a way to manipulate the strike, be smart in the way I go about my business, know what the bowler is going to give me and then go from there.
“But I am comfortable. I have played a lot of cricket. Being comfortable is part of the job. Wherever you are told to bat, you go in there and you have got to do your job.”
Roy comes into the tournament with recent match action and UAE experience behind him. He captained the Royal Champs in the Abu Dhabi T10 that wrapped up in late November. And he said that experience, and also the two games he played last weekend, showed him that the batters might be required to show a lot of grit and determination to build an innings in the rest of the tournament.
“If they (the pitches) stay the same (as we saw last weekend), it is going to be hard work. No doubt about that. You saw Dan Lawrence the other night and Max Holden, who both played very well, to get that start that we needed with that newer ball when it was not gripping or getting into the pitch as much (was very important).
“So (it is important to) get a good start, a solid base for us to go into the back 10 overs. I think if we can hold off on (losing) too many wickets lost by the tenth (over) and then trampoline that last 10 overs, especially on slower pitches, it would play a huge part.
“But I think that obviously Dan the other day in that game (against MI Emirates) played incredibly well, played exactly as we needed. And we built a partnership to then be able to kick on.
“Obviously the run out (when Jason was dismissed) was a shame, but that is part of the game. I think it is just a case of being smart, not losing too many early wickets and batting in partnerships.
“On better pitches, you can just have an individual player that gets a lot of runs. But when it is tough, you really have to work with your guy at the other end.”
And with the play-offs approaching, do the Vipers have a cause for optimism that this is their season?
“The proof is in the start of the whole competition,” said Roy. “The way individuals have stepped up, and the way the team stepped up at different moments (is there for all to see). It has not just been a one-man show, it has been everyone contributing, which is massive going into play-offs.
“Everyone is going to be high on confidence. There is no-one in the team that does not believe. I think that is also a huge part of it.
“When you have got such an incredible environment and you have got good people that want the best for each other, I think that brings out individual performances as well. There is no stone unturned with this franchise. Everything has run really well, everyone is well looked after mentally, physically and technically from what I have seen so far.
“And the hunger for excellence is amazing. No one wants to settle for mediocrity. Everyone is pushing hard for performances. So I think if you do support the Desert Vipers, you are in very good hands.”
