Vipers Voices

Send us Fan Mail This time we’re reflecting on the Vipers’ first disappointing day of this year’s tournament as the side went down to a six-wicket loss to the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium on Monday night. It was a loss that followed four wins in a row to start the DP World ILT20 and to review it we’re joined by Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody.. The positive aspect about t...

Send us Fan Mail Although it’s still early days in the tournament, things keep getting better and better for the Vipers as the side made it four wins from four against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and we reflect on that victory in this episode. It was a convincing 53-run win at the Dubai International Stadium in the side’s annual Sustainability Match, an occasion when the Vipers wear green to highl...

Send us Fan Mail It’s three games and three wins for the Vipers after an excellent five wicket success against the defending champions, MI Emirates, under the Ring of Fire lights at the Dubai International Stadium, a victory achieved with five balls to spare. Coming up we hear from Director of Cricket Tom Moody, captain Lockie Ferguson and player of the match Fakhar Zaman, and they give us their p...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we do something different – it’s time to hear from the Desert Vipers’ Sustainability Lead, Ben Hardy-Jones, as we approach the annual Sustainability Match, this year against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium on Saturday the 18th of January. Ben talks us through what the day will involve from a Vipers perspective and also gives us an ins...

Send us Fan Mail It’s two from two for the Vipers as we can look back on another victory for Lockie Ferguson’s side – this time by six wickets with 14 balls to spare at the Dubai International Stadium against the Gulf Giants, the side that beat the Vipers in the inaugural final in 2023. We hear from two key contributors for the side – opening batter Alex Hales, who had to battle some really testin...

Send us Fan Mail We hear from Sam Curran, who was a key part of an opening match win for the Vipers against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi. Sam made 50 not out from 37 balls, and with Dan Lawrence making 70 in 39 deliveries, the duo added 95 in 10 overs as the side ultimately made light of a potentially tricky chase after ADKR made 166 for four in their 20 overs, winning with eight balls...

Send us Fan Mail It’s almost time! In this episode, recorded around 24 hours before the Vipers’ first match of season three, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi, we check in with new captain Lockie Ferguson.  Lockie’s had a whirlwind introduction to the Vipers having arrived from Australia, where he was playing for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, on Thursday afternoon. We c...

Send us Fan Mail In this edition we hear from Tom Moody, the Vipers’ Director of Cricket, two days out from the side’s opening match of season three, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Sunday the 12th of January. We spoke with Tom to reflect upon the Vipers encouraging warm-up match against the Gulf Giants and Tom reflects on that performance and what it means for the days ahead....

Send us Fan Mail This time we’ve got some cricket to reflect upon as the Vipers have played their one and only warm-up match ahead of the tournament, against the Gulf Giants at the ICC Academy. And as a build-up to the main event, it couldn’t have gone much better. The Vipers bowled out the Giants for 125 in only 16.1 overs, then cruised towards that target to such an extent that both head coaches...

Send us Fan Mail This time we hear from one of the Vipers’ new boys, Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman. Fakhar has signed on to become the latest Pakistan star to join the franchise following on from Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Aamir and he linked up with his new team-mates for the first time at the ICC Academy on Monday the 6th of January, six days ahead of the side’s firs...

Send us Fan Mail With the tournament just days away, we hear from England all-rounder Sam Curran. Sam has been one of the first overseas players to arrive at the JA Resort as the squad starts to assemble in Dubai, and we caught up with him after the team’s first training session at the ICC Academy at Sports City. It’s a case of many happy returns to the Vipers for Sam as he joined the side for the...

Send us Fan Mail This time we catch up with the team’s Head Coach, James Foster. We chat with James about what he’s been up to since last season, his reflections on the previous campaign, his assessment of a host of players – some new and some returning from last term – and we get his assessment of where the squad stands ahead of the first match. James talks about the rationale behind the choice o...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year from Vipers Voices! In this episode - our last one before the players and support staff start to assemble in Dubai ahead of season three of the DP World ILT20 - we speak with Desert Vipers’ UAE wicketkeeper-batter Tanish Suri. Tanish was one of two UAE players, along with all-rounder Ali Naseer, on last season’s roster that was retained for this term, and coming up...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, our last of 2024, we hear from UAE off-spinning all-rounder Dhruv Parashar. Dhruv was the Vipers’ first pick in the UAE player draft that took place in November and it’s a case of many happy returns for the 20 year-old as he is back with the franchise after being part of the squad in season one and then working as a net bowler for the Vipers during season two. Bei...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from Vipers leg-spin bowler Nathan Sowter, a man who has racked up the miles in pursuit of his craft in 2024. The man Director of Cricket Tom Moody christened 'the racing snake' for his agility and speed in the field, Nathan made his debut for the Vipers in season two of the DP World ILT20 and impressed everyone, not only with the quality of his c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from new signing David Payne. Left-arm swing and seam bowler David has been a leading light in Twenty20 cricket in England for more than a decade and he has joined the Vipers for this season after being part of county side Gloucestershire’s success in last summer’s T20 Blast.  In our chat he talks us through his 2024, his background, his reasons for signing...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, part two of our chat with the newly-installed Desert Vipers captain, Lockie Ferguson talks about his busy 2024 and much more besides. There was the obvious low for him - and his New Zealand team-mates - of failing to progress out of the group stage at the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean, but within that, Lockie achieved a remarkable bowling feat and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we hear from newly-appointed Desert Vipers captain Lockie Ferguson, the New Zealand fast bowler. Lockie talks us through his joining the Vipers and his appointment to lead the side, as well as his captaincy style, the schedule of 10 group matches in 23 days and how he can marry the role of being an attack leader with looking after the team on the pitch. He also ans...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is the second part of our two-part chat with Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody. Last time out we chatted about the side’s fixtures for season three, the signings of Dhruv Parashar and Khuzaima Bin Tanveer in the UAE player draft, the captaincy and the overall strength of the squad compared to the past two seasons. And if you haven’t heard that episode, why n...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we speak with Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody, the first part of a two-part chat ahead of season three of the DP World ILT20.  Tom talks with us about, amongst other things, the Vipers’ fixtures for the new campaign, he reflects on the lessons learned from season two, and he speaks about the captaincy and the two UAE players the Vipers have picked up in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we speak with one of the Vipers’ new recruits, the English top-order batter Max Holden, who plays his cricket for county side Middlesex and for the Manchester Originals in the men’s Hundred.   A former England under-19 player, Max tells us all about his background and also talks about his excitement at joining the franchise in a wide-ranging chat that’s coming up s...

Send us Fan Mail With the next edition of the DP World ILT20 just a couple of months away, it's time to kick-off a new season of Vipers Voices - and what better way to do it than to speak with Luke Wood and Azam Khan at the launch of the side's new playing kit for 2025. What makes this kit fantastic is that it's produced locally, in the UAE, thanks to a new clothing agreement with P...

Send us Fan Mail 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 p...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 c...