Desert Vipers Head Coach Azhar Mahmood has been busy shaping the team’s strategy ahead of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL), which gets underway on Thursday, July 23, at Providence Stadium in Georgetown.
The majority of the squad has already assembled ahead of the five-team tournament, which also features the Lahore Qalandars from the Pakistan Super League, the Perth Scorchers representing Australia’s Big Bash League, the San Francisco Unicorns from Major League Cricket in the United States and defending champions the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Two late arrivals into the Vipers camp, whom Mahmood has been observing closely, are New Zealand fast bowler Nathan Smith and West Indies spinner Vitel Lawes. Both were involved in the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series between New Zealand and the West Indies, which concluded in Barbados on Tuesday night with a West Indies victory and a New Zealand series win, 3-2 .
Mahmood told Vipers Voices he was especially impressed by 19-year-old Vitel Lawes, who has become the talk of the Caribbean over the past week following a sensational first series in regional colours, taking eight wickets in five matches.
“Vitel Lawes is a young phenomenal talent,” said Azhar. “I saw him bowl last night and I was very excited to see him. This was the first time I saw him bowl and I like his temperament and the fact that he always has a smile on his face – even when he runs in (to bowl) he has a smile.
“That shows me how much he loves the game and that he has a passion for the game and I am looking forward to working with him. And he might be a trump card for us.”
Mahmood added he was pleased that Lawes gave the Vipers a third quality spinner in their bowling attack.
“I have been through all the squads playing in the GSL and every team has three spinners. (With Chris Green absent through injury) we were the only team with two spinners and some part-timers.
“But now we have three quality spinners in our side so we can make our plan for those spinning pitches, decide how we are going to go about that, who is going to bowl in the powerplay and who is going to bowl in the back end. This gives us a bit more flexibility to make our plans.”
The Vipers will be the last team to begin their tournament campaign, opening in a day game on Friday July 24 against the Lahore Qalandars, a side Azhar Mahmood knows well from the Pakistan Super League.
Mahmood said he believed starting later would give the Vipers a clear advantage, allowing them to watch their opponents in action on the tournament’s opening day and assess the conditions.
“I think it can be an advantage because we can see how the pitch is playing, what sort of dew comes in during the later game (on Thursday July 23 when Guyana Amazon Warriors play the San Francisco Unicorns under lights) and whether (evening moisture) has any role in the morning game, because we have one game in the morning and three games in the evening.
“We will be able to see how the pitch plays in the morning (of the first day of the tournament) and observe the behaviour of the pitch in the evening when the lights are on and see how much dew there is. We can use that advantage of being able to watch conditions and plan according to that.
“So that is an advantage. Also starting a day later means it gives us one more practice day as well.”
Azhar Mahmood said nerves would be a factor in the first match, but he maintained that was a good thing.
“Yes, I am definitely confident, and, at the same time, I am nervous as well, because it is a new tournament (for the Desert Vipers). Every time until we play the first game, there is a bit of nervousness and that is a good sign because you do not get complacent.
“The conditions are different, and we have different players coming into the side. This is a short tournament and there is a short turnaround for the players to get some practise sessions in before the matches.
“So, it is always nerve-wracking until you play or until you bowl the first ball of the first game. But I am excited as well and all the players are very excited and I am looking forward to a great tournament. I feel adapting to these conditions is really important for us.”
