The Desert Vipers pulled off a sensational last ball victory over top-of-the-table side MI Emirates in the team’s fifth match of the DP World ILT20.
In the most dramatic match of the season so far, it was down to Shaheen Shah Afridi, who, along with Luke Wood, raced to complete the three runs required off the final delivery giving the Vipers a two-wicket win. Mohammad Amir was declared Player of the Match for his 3-26.
Speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast after the win, Head Coach James Foster said it was a scrappy win, but it provided a much-needed confidence boost to the team that had lost three of their four previous games. Quotes from that interview and from Vipers bowler Mohammad Amir are included below.
Match Scores:
Toss: Desert Warriors won the toss and elected to field first.
MI Emirates: 149-9 (20 overs)
Top scorer: Tim David 28 (14)
Desert Vipers: 150-8 (20 overs)
Top scorer: Sherfane Rutherford 35 (22)
Top wicket-takers: Mohammad Amir 3-26, Matheesha Pathirana 2-32, Luke Wood 2-32
Match Result: Vipers won by two wickets.
Player of the Match: Mohammad Amir 3-26
Here are some quotes from a post-match interview with Desert Vipers’ Player of the Match Mohammad Amir:
“I am happy with my performance, having taken three wickets, but what is most important to me is that the team won the match. Winning the Player of the Match award is a good boost for my confidence, and I hope that I can continue this form.
“I believe that bowling is successful in partnerships, and I am really enjoying bowling with Shaheen Shah Afridi, and I think he is enjoying this experience too. What is most important is communication, and after an over gets completed, we give each other key pieces of information, about whether the ball is gripping, and so on, and this is very helpful.
“Shaheen played a very sensible innings, and he has been working hard on his batting. I think this was the best match of the tournament so far, even though we have not been playing very good cricket overall, this was an interesting game.”
Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match podcast featuring Desert Vipers Head Coach James Foster:
“It was an interesting days play, but ultimately, we got a win, and it is exactly what we needed at this moment in time. Delighted to get a victory, against a very good side in Mumbai; It was a scrappy win at the end, but we got there.
“(With ten runs need off the last over) My heart was in the balance. It was a tough batting innings to watch if I am being honest. I had a few mixed emotions in there, but ultimately Shaheen did the job there on the last ball.
“I guess a win is a win, and the knock-on effect is going to be huge with that confidence (for the team). It was a scrapy win in the end. At half time the thinking was you just need to play relatively well, and we should cruise home. But cricket is a funny thing, and it can be a different beast at different times.
“In a couple of performances this year, we were in decent positions, and we let it slide. It could easily have been like that today, so getting over the line was really an important factor today and it gives that little bit of confidence to the group.
“We have got a quality team and we have not quite fired at full throttle, and sometimes you do not have to, but today was important.”
The Desert Vipers are back in action on Thursday February 1 when they take on the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium.
Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now on sale and can be purchased via the official DP World ILT20 website or at any Virgin Megastore across the UAE.
