The Desert Vipers pulled out all the stops for a thrilling 12-run win against the Dubai Capitals on Saturday evening at the Dubai International Stadium.
Put in to bat, the Vipers lost their star batter Alex Hales early, and needed some battling knocks from captain Colin Munro, Sam Billings, Tom Curran and Sherfane Rutherford to post a total of 149 for nine in 20 overs. This proved enough as the Desert Vipers bowling attack defended this total successfully, with a brilliant effort in the death overs from Tom Curran and Matheesha Pathirana closing out the Dubai Capitals run-chase.
Match Scores:
Desert Vipers: 149/5 (20 overs)
Dubai Capitals:137/5 (20 overs)
Match Result: Desert Vipers won by 12 runs.
Player of the Match: Adam Zampa (3-16)
Here are some quotes from the post-match media conference featuring Rohan Mustafa:
“Getting an opportunity for players like myself from an Associate team in this league (DP World ILT20) is a big thing for us. I believe with this league coming to the UAE, we (UAE players) will definitely improve.
“Everyone (on the Desert Vipers squad) has been training very well, and they have the experience of playing around the globe, so I don’t think playing two matches in a row will really affect them much.
“As Associate players, we are used to playing two 50-over games in two days, so for me it is not a worry.
“Yes, the MI Emirates team (whom Desert Vipers play on Sunday in Sharjah) is a good team. We beat them in Abu Dhabi, and we played really well that day. But we expect them to come hard at us. They have world-class players like Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard, but I believe if we do the basics right we can do the same (and beat MI Emirates again).
“I don’t think (we were short of runs). They bowled really well in the end. I would give credit to their (Dubai Capitals) bowlers , who bowled really well. The wicket was not that easy, and it was turning, and it was not easy to hit.
“Yusuf Pathan and Rovman Powell played really well, especially over about four overs when they hit me, Matheesha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga for some runs. But honestly the wicket was not that easy and if you bowled according to the field, it was hard to hit on this wicket.
“All the team mates (Desert Vipers squad) have really supported us, even if we don’t do well. There are small things they (international players) have taught us (UAE and Associate players), like how to handle pressure, and this is really helpful for us. We will need to take these learnings and implement them in the nets as well. I believe next year, if we are playing, we will have improved a lot.”
Here are quotes from the interview with Head Coach James Foster on the Vipers Voices Podcast:
“With two batters (Yusuf Pathan and Rovman Powell) in, who are formidable strikers of the cricket ball, that was exceptional bowling (from Matheesha Pathirana and Tom Curran in the death overs). It was some of the best death bowling I have ever seen, to be honest. There was a fair bit of pressure there and the way they (Pathirana and Curran) closed that out was something very special. Hats off to them as bowling three overs in a row, each end, is a difficult thing to do and they came out with flying colours. I am delighted for them.
“It is a great win, the win today, because it gives you a lot of confidence coming back from that position where the game was in their (Dubai Capitals) favour. Those last four overs were just great to see.
“Alex Hales has been in phenomenal touch this season, but today the partnership between Sam Billings and Colin Munro was wonderful. Munro was striking the ball very well and that put a lot of pressure on to them (Dubai Capitals). That might have been our highest powerplay score this season or close to it on what was a potentially tough pitch. So, I was particularly delighted with that partnership.
“I am delighted with this win, and it is important that we bring this confidence into the next game. We have back-to-back games. Off to Sharjah tomorrow and we have new conditions that we have to assess quickly and that is something we have done well this season.”
About the Desert Vipers
Owned by Lancer Capital, The Desert Vipers team is one of six to compete at the inaugural ICC-sanctioned ILT20 tournament to be held in the UAE in January-February 2023. Cricket Director Tom Moody and Head Coach James Foster lead operations in the star-studded Desert Vipers camp, which includes players like Sam Billings, Wanindu Hasaranga, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Tom Curran, and Sheldon Cottrell. Other key staffing appointments include Azhar Mahmood (fast bowling coach), Carl Crowe (spin bowling coach), Simon Helmot (fielding coach), and Neil McKenzie (batting coach).
