This is our final podcast from season two of the DP World ILT20.

The Vipers signed off from the tournament for this season with a comfortable win by six wickets over the Sharjah Warriors in Sharjah, a win that ensured that although the side failed to finish in the top four and therefore secure a spot in the play-offs, it did mean Colin Munro’s side leapfrogged Sharjah into fifth place in the table.

It was a fourth win this term for the Vipers who produced perhaps their most complete performance of what was ultimately a disappointing campaign.

Neither side was able to qualify and so pride was all that was at stake but the Vipers ensured they finished on a high and left the tournament on a positive note.

We hear from Head Coach James Foster with his reflections on the season as a whole, and there’s also the chance to listen to captain Colin Munro with his thoughts on both the victory over Sharjah and the season.

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This episode could easily be called Vipers heartache as Colin Munro’s side went down to a last ball loss against the Dubai Capitals for a second time this season.

The defeat leaves the franchise bottom of the six-team table and while they’re still not out of contention for a spot in the finals, it’s now out of their hands.

We hear from batter Alex Hales, who top-scored for the Vipers with 66 from 37 balls but, as you’ll hear, it was a bittersweet success for him on a night when the side suffered a gut-wrenching loss.

The Capitals needed six from the final delivery, bowled by Ali Naseer, and Sikandar Raza struck it over long-off for a maximum to seal the win.

There’s now just one regular season fixture left for the Vipers now – against Sharjah Warriors in Sharjah on Sunday the 11th of February – and if you want to attend that match then you can secure your ticket via the ILT20 website – www.ilt20.ae – or at any Virgin Megastore in the UAE.

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https://www.rasasi.com
https://www.batforachance.org.uk/
https://theplasticpledge.com/

This time we have a real treat for you – a round-table chat with captain Colin Munro and Director of Cricket Tom Moody to look ahead to the match against the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday night, the 9th of February.

It’s the penultimate match of the regular season for the Vipers and it’s a must-win encounter if the side wants to retain a realistic chance of making it to the play-offs.

In our chat with Tom and Colin, the pair reflect on the season so far, and also on what’s to come, starting with that clash against the Capitals.

We spoke about the return of Dan Lawrence from England duty for the next two matches, the arrival of Sam Curran and Phil Salt, both outstanding international cricketers in the Twenty20 format, and the impact, both on and off the field, of the Pakistan contingent – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir – this season.

We also discussed the importance of the toss and the fact that the Capitals match is so high-stakes. It’s all about pressure and Colin and Tom have some very interesting thoughts on that.

We’re all set for what should be some unmissable action over the next few days with, first, the match against the Capitals and then an encounter against Sharjah Warriors that could define the whole season.

And if you want to be part of that action then getting hold of your tickets couldn’t be easier.

You can do so either via the ILT20 website – www.ilt20.ae – or from any Virgin Megastore in the UAE.

https://www.thedesertvipers.com
https://twitter.com/TheDesertVipers
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https://www.rasasi.com
https://www.batforachance.org.uk/
https://theplasticpledge.com/

In this episode we speak with the Vipers recruits Phil Salt and Sam Curran, the England internationals who have flown in from the SA20 in South Africa to bolster the side’s roster in the run-in to the end of the regular season of the DP World ILT20.

Wicketkeeper-batter Phil has arrived from Pretoria Capitals and all-rounder Sam, has joined from MI Cape Town and both of them are experienced internationals.

Both were part of the England squad that lifted the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022 with Sam being named player of the tournament on that occasion, and more recently Phil was absolutely superb in the T20I series against the West Indies in the Caribbean in December, when he scored two hundreds at the top of the order and made more than twice as many runs as any player from either team.

The good news for them both – as they touch upon in our chat that follows is that they’ve had time to get their feet under the table with a couple of training sessions after arriving before getting their teeth into two massive matches, the first of which is against Dubai capitals at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday evening, February the 9th.

The Vipers' final two group matches are against the Capitals and the Sharjah Warriors. Two wins should be enough for a place in the play-offs but it also means that every game is a virtual knock-out from hereon in.

What that should produce is compelling cricket and if you want to watch the matches against the Capitals or against the Warriors at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium then it couldn’t be easier to get hold of tickets.

You can do so either via the ILT20 website – www.ilt20.ae – or from any Virgin Megastore in the UAE.

https://www.thedesertvipers.com
https://twitter.com/TheDesertVipers
https://www.instagram.com/thedesertvipers/
https://www.rasasi.com
https://www.batforachance.org.uk/
https://theplasticpledge.com/

In this episode we look back at the Vipers’ Sustainability Match, against the Gulf Giants at the Dubai International Stadium last Saturday, in the company of the Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver and Sustainability Manager Ben Hardy-Jones.

The Vipers have nailed their colours to the mast by putting Sustainability and the climate crisis front and centre of their agenda and the match against the Giants was a manifestation of that approach.

We hear from Phil and Ben about how the match went and what happens next and how the Vipers will look to continue the progress that’s already been made.

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https://www.rasasi.com
https://www.batforachance.org.uk/
https://theplasticpledge.com/

In this episode we reflect on a 30-run loss at the hands of MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Sunday February the 4th, the Vipers’ eighth game of this campaign.

We have reaction from debutant leg-spinner Nathan Sowter, who performed admirably in taking one for 27 and there’s also the views of Ali Naseer, the UAE all-rounder who had his maiden DP World ILT20 half-century, weighing in with an unbeaten 63 from 47 balls which ensured the damage to the Vipers’ net run-rate in the face of the loss wasn’t as damaging as it could have been.

The loss leaves the side battling it out with a host of other sides for a place in the top four – and therefore a spot in the end-of-season play-offs – and it looks like a battle that’s going to go down to the wire.

The Vipers now have two matches left in the regular season, against the Dubai Capitals in Dubai on Friday February the 9th and then Sharjah Warriors in Sharjah two days later.

And if you want to watch either or both games then it really couldn’t be easier to secure your tickets. You can do so via the league’s own website – www.ilt20.ae – or at any Virgin Megastore across the UAE.

https://www.thedesertvipers.com
https://twitter.com/TheDesertVipers
https://www.instagram.com/thedesertvipers/
https://www.rasasi.com
https://www.batforachance.org.uk/
https://theplasticpledge.com/

This time we look back on an emphatic win for Colin Munro’s side against the Gulf Giants – a six-wicket success with more than three overs in hand.

Coming up we have reaction from opening batter Alex Hales, wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan, who scored the fastest fifty in the history of the tournament, and also head coach James Foster, with the result seeing the side surge up the table from sixth to third. 

It means that qualification for the end-of-season play-offs is now very much back on the radar and if the side can replicate the quality of this display, who knows? Maybe even a top-two spot – and with it two chances to reach the final – could be a possibility.

https://www.thedesertvipers.com
https://twitter.com/TheDesertVipers
https://www.instagram.com/thedesertvipers/
https://www.rasasi.com
https://www.batforachance.org.uk/
https://theplasticpledge.com/

This is a very special episode of Vipers Voices. It's special because It was recorded on the day the Desert Vipers joined forces with the Dubai Sports Council.

Dubai Sports Council is the official body responsible for the development of the sports sector in the Emirate.

And in a ground-breaking partnership, Dubai Sports Council has become the Lead Partner in the Desert Vipers’ Sustainability Programme.

The announcement was made at the offices of the Dubai Sports Council in Dubai’s Design District in the presence of its Secretary General His Excellency Saaed Hareb as well as the Desert Vipers Owner Avram Glazer, Chief Executive Officer Phil Oliver, Director of Cricket Tom Moody and captain Colin Munro.

We hear from Colin, who talks about the partnership as well as looking back at the narrow defeat to Dubai Capitals and forward to the now-crucial game against the Gulf Giants at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday February the 3rd.

That match is the Vipers’ Sustainability Match, where the players will be wearing green kit, fans are being asked to attend dressed in green and are also be invited to bring in old and used sportswear which can then be recycled and upcycled in keeping with the Vipers commitment to sustainability and the environment.

We hear, too, from Tom Moody, who speaks about Shaheen Shah Afridi after the Pakistan Twenty20 International captain signed off for this season with that match against the Capitals.

Tom talks about Shaheen’s influence on and off the field and how the Vipers will deal with his absence.

So, plenty of chat – as ever – on this episode, but before we get into that, just a quick reminder that if you’d like to attend the Sustainability Match or any of the Vipers games this season, you can do so by picking up a ticket either at the league’s website – www.ilt20.ae – or at any Virgin megastore across the UAE.

https://www.thedesertvipers.com
https://twitter.com/TheDesertVipers
https://www.instagram.com/thedesertvipers/
https://www.rasasi.com
https://www.batforachance.org.uk/
https://theplasticpledge.com/