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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, James Foster of the Vipers, and the Giants’ Andy Flower, agreed to a revised target of 186, 60 more runs than the original requirement.

The Vipers fell short by just three runs of reaching that goal but it was still a match filled with positives and coming up we’ll reflect on those with two of the stars of the day from a Vipers perspective, leg-spinner Nathan Sowter and batter Adam Hose.

Nathan took four for eight in a superb spell of bowling, while Adam found the middle of the bat in a stunning display of hitting, making 47 from only 23 balls before he retired out to give others a chance of time in the middle.

Tickets for all Vipers matches in the DP World ILT20 are available via the link below this podcast description or at the official tournament website.

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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 first match, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Sunday the 12th of January.

Fakhar has proved himself to be an exceptional talent at international and domestic levels over a number of years and he arrives at the DP World ILT20 with 11 white-ball hundreds for his country, including a double-hundred in One-Day Internationals, something that underlines his talent and emphasizes what a great signing he has the potential to be for the Vipers this season.

He has arrived in Dubai off the back of a successful domestic tournament in Pakistan, something that should provide him with a lot of confidence going into this campaign – and he talks about his recent action in our upcoming interview.

The left-hander also talks about what attracted him to play for the Vipers and his excitement at linking up with the star-studded group of team-mates around him, as well as the coaching staff.

During our chat, Fakhar talks about the player he’s most looking forward to lining up alongside this season and, on top of that, he speaks about where he stands in terms of his international future – something that’s especially pertinent given Pakistan is all set to host the ICC Champions Trophy, a tournament in which he exploded onto the international stage in 2017 when his hundred in the final against India helped propel the side to victory.

He also reflects on his time in the UAE in the past, including when he played club cricket here, and what he expects from conditions during the tournament.

And if you want to watch Fakhar and his Vipers team-mates this season, you can buy tickets for all Vipers matches at the link below this podcast description.

https://www.thedesertvipers.com
https://twitter.com/TheDesertVipers
https://www.instagram.com/thedesertvipers/
https://www.batforachance.org.uk/
https://theplasticpledge.com/
https://tickets.virginmegastore.me/ae/group/venue/50/desert-vipers?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab9fx_-_nYuzYvHADezZlIcCDI_Q1-MgUVPSzZh33ngq5Qp5aBuOZSl_ic_aem_IooLlA6jU_qbtCFRjyV67Q

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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 latter stages of season two twelve months ago, and now he’s back – this time for the whole thing.

He’s a player who’s been a star for England in all three formats and was player of the tournament when England won the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, before going on to captain the Punjab Kings in the most recent edition of the Indian Premier League.

Credentials like that mean he’s a highly respected and very much in-demand talent, so it really is a coup for the Vipers to secure his services for this tournament, especially with so many others taking place at the same time in different parts of the world.

Coming up, Sam explains his thinking behind his decision to go all-in for the Vipers this season and how he hopes he can bring his winning mentality to the team after being part of trophy successes for both his county Surrey and the Oval Invincibles in England in 2024.

He also speaks about where he would like to see himself batting and bowling in the side and about the prospect of facing his older brother Tom, the former Vipers all-rounder, who’s now all set to line up against him for the Gulf Giants.

Sam provides us with his opinion on the impact substitute rule, which is being used for a second consecutive year in this season’s tournament and discusses where he sees himself in terms of his future with the England team.

And on top of that, there’s also chat about his brother Ben, who has now made his international debut for Zimbabwe, the country of their father Kevin’s birth, in Tests and One-Day Internationals.

It's a fascinating chat covering a range of topics - and it’s a chat that’s well worth your time.

And remember you can buy your tickets for all Vipers matches using the link below or by visiting the DP World ILT20's official website.

https://www.thedesertvipers.com
https://twitter.com/TheDesertVipers
https://www.instagram.com/thedesertvipers/
https://www.batforachance.org.uk/
https://theplasticpledge.com/
https://tickets.virginmegastore.me/ae/group/venue/50/desert-vipers?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab9fx_-_nYuzYvHADezZlIcCDI_Q1-MgUVPSzZh33ngq5Qp5aBuOZSl_ic_aem_IooLlA6jU_qbtCFRjyV67Q