The Desert Vipers lost out in a last-ball thriller against the Dubai Capitals in Dubai, going down by four wickets for their fourth defeat in six games.
Put in to bat, the Vipers got off to a flyer through their openers. Rohan Mustafa and Alex Hales shared an 81-run partnership, with Mustafa scoring his first fifty of this season, while Hales contributed 49.
But in the face of such impressive batting, the Capitals adapted their bowling strategy and were successful in slowing the Vipers’ momentum, eventually limiting Colin Munro’s side to 169 for six.
The Capitals run chase was led by player of the match Ben Dunk and West Indian batting powerhouse Rovman Powell, as they achieved the target from the final ball of the match, courtesy of a scrambled single.
Speaking to the Vipers Voices podcast afterwards, Director of Cricket Tom Moody said the defeat was a tough one to take because the side had been unable to put all three key elements of the game together efficiently and were lacking consistency. Quotes from that interview and from Vipers all-rounder Rohan Mustafa are included below.
Match Scores:
Toss: Dubai Capitals won the toss and elected to field first
Desert Vipers:169/6 (20 overs)
Top scorer: Rohan Mustafa 50 (33)
Dubai Capitals: 170/6 (20 overs)
Top scorers: Ben Dunk 59 (30), Rovman Powell 40* (32)
Match Result: Dubai Capitals won by four wickets
Player of the Match: Ben Dunk
Here are some quotes from a post-match interview with Desert Vipers’ player Rohan Mustafa:
“It started really well for us, but we slowed down scoring runs between the eighth and fourteenth overs, and we did not bat as well at that time; but the conditions were not easy, especially when they began bowling slower balls.
“Whenever you play with a batter like Alex Hales you are not under pressure, because even if you play some dot balls, he goes for the big shots. We did really well (as an opening pair) in the last season as well and had a few good partnerships.
“I feel I have really improved because of our batting coach Neil McKenzie, who has really helped me with my batting. When I was hitting it was going really well and I was going with the flow.”
Here are some quotes from the Vipers Voices post-match podcast featuring Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody:
“It is very frustrating for us because at this stage we are not putting all three key elements together efficiently. There were parts where we were absolutely dominating the game, and then there were parts where we went completely missing. That is something for us to reflect on because we have to piece that together ahead of the final matches ahead of us.
“We took a little bit of time to get going, but once we got going, particularly Rohan Mustafa, (he) took the game apart. That is what he has done on the odd occasion last year and that is what he has done today.
“He batted superbly well and justified his role at the top of the order while being that impact player who can throw a punch early in those powerplay overs. I am thrilled to see him among the runs and giving us that start that really got our innings up and running and flying.
“I think as the innings unfolded the conditions changed a little bit, and the Capitals adjusted how they bowled on the surface, and they changed their pace quite cleverly, and playing those free-flowing shots was not as easy as it was in the first phase of the game.
“But with the batting lineup we have got and the power that we have got it was just disappointing that they (the Vipers middle order) did not take advantage of such a good foundation. In T20 cricket it is about partnerships, and that was a significant one (between Rohan Mustafa and Alex Hales, 81 in 8.2 overs), but then we failed to get any traction in those middle overs with any partnership. And it was not until Adam Hose at the end of the innings brought some life back into our innings (that we were able) to get to a competitive score.
“I felt it (169/6) was a competitive score, particularly given the intel that we got from the way they (Dubai Capitals) bowled on the surface and what we could apply to our bowling innings.
“But unfortunately I felt we did not take advantage of that intel as much as we should have done. Early on with the new ball we offered too much width. Ben Dunk played very well, it was vintage Ben Dunk out there, and we certainly allowed him to get off to that type of a flyer, and in this type of game if you do let someone off the hook like that you end up having to do a bit of chasing, which we did.
“That was a terrific last over from Matheesha Pathirana; he showed just why he is highly regarded as a finisher with the ball. He has done it very successfully at Chennai Super Kings under the leadership of MS Dhoni and he showed again that he has got not only the skill but also the temperament to deliver under that kind of pressure.
“We are in a tough position and a harder position than we would have liked to be in. We let one slip tonight, and we have let a couple of games slip in my view, and we just have not played consistent cricket to this point.
“So, we do not deserve to be up the table or at the middle of the table yet but I have got full confidence that we have got the capability and the commitment to turn things around.”
The Desert Vipers are back in action on Saturday, February 3, for the Sustainability Match, when they take on the Gulf Giants 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.
