Vipers Voices

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we catch up with the player who has just been confirmed as the Vipers’ captain for the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League, Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan.   Shadab will lead the side for the GSL after Chris Green, the player originally named as captain, had to pull out of the tournament with a hand injury.   We speak with Shadab about his captainc...

Send us Fan Mail This time we catch up with an up-and-coming star who’s linking up with the Vipers for the first time – New Zealand middle-order batter Bevon Jacobs.   Bevon has enjoyed a breakthrough past 12 months, making his international debut for New Zealand in the Twenty20 International format, and now he’s all set to take his bow for the Vipers in the upcoming ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super...

Send us Fan Mail This time we’ve got a very special episode for you - and something a bit different.   Coming up we hear from Mickey Arthur, the decorated coach who’s been in charge of four different national teams, and also Tom Bruce, who was part of the Vipers squad in Season 4, the side’s first title success.   And why have we brought these two together for this podcast? Well, they have one thi...

Send us Fan Mail This time we catch up with a new recruit for the Vipers, South Africa top-order batter Rilee Rossouw.   Rilee is linking up with the Vipers for the upcoming ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League that is set to take place in late July and early August, replacing off-spinning all-rounder Chris Green in the squad after Chris was ruled out through injury. There are few players current...

Send us Fan Mail On this occasion we hear from Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan all-rounder who is the Vipers’ Head Coach for the upcoming ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League that is set to take place in late July and early August.   Azhar has plenty to say on the Vipers squad, the build-up to the tournament and the tournament itself – and he also talks about a major piece of news which is tha...

Send us Fan Mail This time we hear from Barbados all-rounder Kyle Mayers, one of a Caribbean contingent joining the Vipers for the upcoming ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League that is set to take place in late July and early August. Kyle brings with him a vast amount of experience in short-form cricket, including in the DP World ILT20 where, over the past two seasons he’s played for the Abu Dhab...

Send us Fan Mail This time we hear from New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson. Kyle is a new addition to the squad for the upcoming ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League that is set to take place in late July and early August, replacing Australia left-arm paceman Jason Behrendorff, who has sadly had to drop out through injury.   When we caught up with Kyle he’d just arrived in the UK for a three-m...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we speak with one of the heartbeats of the Vipers line-up last season, wicketkeeper-batter Vriitya Aravind. We speak about his recollections from that title-winning campaign, his reaction to being picked up by the Vipers again, alongside fellow UAE players Matiullah Khan and Sanjay Pahal, for the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League and what he is expecting from c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we’ve got double the usual content for you. First-up, we’ve got a chat with USA wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous, one of the heroes of the side’s success in season 4 and a player who’s back with the Vipers for the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League.   And then once we’ve wrapped up with Andries, we hear from Ben Hardy-Jones, the Vipers’ Sustainability Lead, who...

Send us Fan Mail It’s time for the second installment of our two-part chat with Chris Green, the Australian off-spinning all-rounder who’s captaining the team in the upcoming ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League in late July and early August. The crux of our conversation this time centred around the tournament to come.   We discussed how many of the Vipers squad for the Global Super League Chris...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features the first part of our two-part chat with Chris Green, the Australian off-spinning all-rounder who's been named as Vipers captain for the upcoming ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League, the Twenty20 tournament at Providence Stadium from 23 July to 1 August. Chris spoke with us during a break in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, where he is playing with t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from the franchise’s CEO Phil Oliver.   Phil talks to us about what it means to invited to take part in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League in Guyana in July and August – both from a prestige and a commercial perspective – he walks us through the challenges of putting together a squad at a time of year when the Vipers are not normally in action and he...

Send us Fan Mail We are back for a new season of the podcast a little earlier than in past years and the reason for that is simple: the Vipers have been invited to play in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League, a T20 tournament in Guyana at the end of July.   It’s meant Tom Moody, the Desert Vipers Director of Cricket, Phil Oliver, the CEO, and others behind the scenes have had to swing into a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we present the second installment  of our Season 4 review. Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody reflects on all the highlights and challenges faced during an action-packed tournament which saw the Vipers winning the trophy in their third final in four seasons.  Tom has confirmed his commitment to the Vipers in Season 5 and he is eager to start laying the gro...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we have the first part of our Season 4 wrap-up. Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver reflects on the team’s maiden DP World ILT20 title, talking us through the work that went on behind the scenes to help ensure the ultimate success of the franchise. Phil also looks ahead to Season 5 - the planning starts now for the team to try and become the first to retain the title! ht...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we celebrate the Desert Vipers winning the DP World ILT20 for the first time! After two runners-up finishes, the Vipers won this time with an emphatic 46-run success against MI Emirates. We hear from Head Coach James Foster, bowlers Khuzaima bin Tanveer, Usman Tariq and David Payne, batter Max Holden and CEO Phil Oliver as all of them reflect on what this triumph m...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from Vipers captain Sam Curran ahead of the final of the DP World ILT20, against MI Emirates at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday the 4th of January. Sam gives us his thoughts on the threat that MI Emirates pose, talks us through his captaincy style and what he expects from the big game as the Vipers, having reached their third final in four seasons...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from the Vipers' Pakistani mystery spinner Usman Tariq, who announced himself with three wickets in Qualifier 1 against MI Emirates to help propel the side to the final. Usman tells us about how he ended up at the Vipers, his unique bowling style, his meteoric rise over the past year or so, including a stellar spell in the Caribbean Premier League, his...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we speak with Andries Gous, one of the heroes for the team in a 45-run win over MI Emirates in Qualifier 1 in Abu Dhabi. Andries scored 120 not out as the Vipers, put into bat, scorched their way to 233 for one, with Fahkar Zaman making 69 and Sam Curran an unbeaten 38 from only 12 balls. Andries and Fakhar added 157, a new tournament first wicket record, while And...

Send us Fan Mail This time we hear from Director of Cricket Tom Moody. Tom looks back at the Vipers setting a record for most wins in the league stage of the DP World ILT20 - eight - and forward to the play-off stage with the first assignment being Qualifier 1 against MI Emirates in Abu Dhabi. He assesses the performances of key performers like Sam Curran, Khuzaima bin Tanveer and Max Holden, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from Vipers new boy Zafar Gohar, the left-arm spinner who has joined the franchise in place of Noor Ahmad. Zafar tells us how his joining the Vipers came about, gives us a bit of background about himself and his cricketing journey and tells us about his expectations for the week ahead - and beyond. If you want tickets for any of the play-offs or the final t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from fast bowling coach Azhar Mahmood after the Vipers became the first side in the history of the DP World ILT20 to win eight matches in the regular season, beating the Sharjah Warriorz by five wickets with three balls to spare at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The Vipers won thanks to a disciplined bowling display as the Warriorz were restricted to 140 for...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we catch up with wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous.   Andries is on the comeback trail after injuring a calf muscle in the fourth match of the season, against MI Emirates but he’s now close to a return to action and in our conversation, he talks about how he suffered the injury, his rehabilitation, what it’s been like on the sidelines and plenty more.   It’s a chat...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we catch up with Vipers new boy Jason Roy.   Jason’s feet have barely touched the ground since joining the franchise off the back of a tournament-ending injury to Shimron Hetmyer and, having played back-to-back matches as soon as he arrived in the UAE, he’s now had a chance to draw breath and catch up for a chat with us.   And it’s a terrific chat too, as he reflec...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from Head Coach James Foster as he reflects on the four-wicket loss to MI Emirates at the Dubai International Stadium. The Vipers were well-shackled on a tricky pitch, and after being put into bat they scrambled to 124 for seven, piloted by Dan Lawrence's unbeaten 35 from 34 balls. In reply, MI Emirates got home with 15 balls in hand, although the Vipe...