Vipers Voices

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In this episode we’re looking ahead to the Desert Vipers’ third match of the DP World ILT20, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Friday 20 January, and also reflecting on game two, against the same opponents in Dubai.

To do that we’re joined by birthday boy Gus Atkinson, who picked up two wickets in an impressive display on Wednesday night, and Director of Cricket Tom Moody.

 
Both of them talk about the importance of the next match while Tom heaps praise on UAE all-rounder Rohan Mustafa and Gus takes stock after going from a potential net bowler to one of the leaders of the attack.

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In this episode we reflects on the Desert Vipers' second win in two matches in the DP World ILT20.

This victory, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium, was by the same margin as the side’s earlier success against the Sharjah Warriors – a seven-wicket win, this time with 4.2 overs to spare.

There's reaction from Alex Hales after his second half-century in two matches  and also Carl Crowe, the spin bowling coach, who – amongst other things – gives us his assessment of the contribution of the player of the match Wanindu Hasaranga. The Sri Lankan took 3-18 on his debut and his effort was crucial in swinging the match the way of the Desert Vipers.

The pair also look ahead to the Vipers' next match, against the same opponents but this time in Abu Dhabi.

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In this episode we preview the Vipers’ second match of the DP World ILT20, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday the 18th of January.

We catch up with Director of Cricket Tom Moody who looks back on game one, the seven-wicket win against the Sharjah Warriors, and ahead to game two, and we also hear from the side’s new arrival, Sri Lankan leg-spinning all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga.


The world's number one-ranked men's T20I bowler touched down in Dubai from India on Monday morning after time on international duty in ODI and T20I action and he tells Vipers Voices he's not only raring to go but is also well-prepared for UAE conditions.

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This episode has reaction to the Desert Vipers' first match of the DP World ILT20, a seven-wicket win against the Sharjah Warriors at the Dubai International Stadium.

We hear from Sam Billings, one of the batting heroes of the evening, as he made 49 and added 128 with player of the match Alex Hales (83 not out from 52 balls) to ease the side to victory after slipping to 15-2 in pursuit of 146.

We also hear from batting coach Neil McKenzie, who gives us his assessment of the performance.

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This episode is the last one before the Desert Vipers' opening match of the DP World ILT20, against the Sharjah Warriors at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday the 15th of January and we look ahead to that encounter by speaking with captain Colin Munro to get the inside track on preparations.

On top of that we hear from Director of Cricket Tom Moody and young off-spinning all-rounder Dhruv Parashar after the UAE Under-19 player was called up to the squad as a replacement for Ronak Panoly.

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In this episode we reflect on the Desert Vipers one and only warm-up match, against the Gulf Giants at the ICC Academy in Dubai.

The Gulf Giants made 157-9 in their 20 overs with Sheldon Cottrell starring with the ball, taking 3-9 in three overs.

In reply, with Colin Munro scoring 46 from just 15 balls before retiring, the Vipers were cruising to their target when the two coaches, James Foster and Andy Flower of the Gulf Giants, got together and set a fresh target of 80 from the final eight overs.

With Tom Curran (50 from 30 balls) and Gus Atkinson (32 from 19) both playing superbly, the Vipers scored 79 of those runs and finished the match in high spirits after a very solid work-out.

Sheldon Cottrell and James Foster reflect on the match - played in very chilly conditions - on the podcast.

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In this episode we speak with Head Coach James Foster as the distance to the side’s first match of the tournament can be measured in hours rather than days or weeks.

Quite a bit has changed since we last spoke to James on the podcast, with new additions to the Vipers squad, and he gives us the lowdown on how that squad is shaping up ahead of its opening match of the DP World ILT20 against the Sharjah Warriors at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday January the 15th.

James also provides some insights into his philosophy as a coach as he, along with CEO Phil Oliver and Director of Cricket Tom Moody, relishes the arrival of the players ahead of the action getting underway.

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This special bonus episode of Vipers Voices takes place on the day of the unveiling of the jersey the Desert Vipers will be playing in during the first edition of the DP World ILT20.

It features interviews with newly arrived captain Colin Munro, England fast bowler Tymal Mills, fast bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver and Apoorva Srivastva from Rasasi Perfumes, the Dubai-based company who are the team’s Principal Sponsors.

The jersey launch is the latest step on the road to the side’s first match of the tournament, against the Sharjah Warriors at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday the 15th of January.

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In this episode we continue our build-up to the Desert Vipers' opening match against the Sharjah Warriors on 15 January  by chatting with England all-rounder Tom Curran, the first player arrival into the UAE from among the squad.

 
Tom will be a key player for the Desert Vipers as he’s one of the side’s most experienced players, with 60 international appearances across all three formats, and he’s played T20 cricket all around the world, including in the Big Bash League in Australia where he was an outstanding performer with the Sydney Sixers for several years.

Tom comes into this tournament completely recharged after time away from the game following his county side Surrey’s victory in the County Championship in the summer of 2022 and he tells us his planning for the tournament always factored in his early arrival into Dubai ahead of the action getting underway.

 
He also talks to us about one of his key roles in the tournament - bowling when the heat really is on and the opposition are looking to accelerate, and he says he’s not thinking about an England recall, only about having an enjoyable – and successful – ILT20.

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In this episode we focus on one of the side’s UAE players – all-rounder Ali Naseer.

We hear from Ali himself and we also hear from his long-time coach, former Pakistan all-rounder Mudassar Nazar, who’s now the Head of the UAE National Academy Programme and someone who was head coach of the UAE Under-19 side that Ali played in at last year’s ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.

Ali tells us all about his background in the game and what he hopes to achieve in the ILT20 and beyond, and Mudassar explains what we can expect to see from a player who turns 19 a month after the tournament concludes.

By the end of this episode you’ll have a fascinating insight into Ali, someone who has the potential to do something very special in the first edition of the DP World ILT20.

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