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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.

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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.

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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 of New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson as captain, and he also speaks of all four UAE players engaged by the Vipers – all-rounder Ali Naseer and wicketkeeper-batter Tanish Suri, who were retained from last season, as well as fast bowler Khuzaima Bin Tanveer and off-spinning all-rounder Dhruv Parashar, who were picked up the UAE player draft that followed the ILT20 Development Tournament late last year.

It's James Foster looking back at last season, looking at the strength of the current squad and looking ahead to the challenges that lie ahead.

And a reminder you can now buy tickets for all Desert Vipers matches via the link below this podcast description or at the DP World ILT20 website.

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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 he talks us through his past 12 months, including his UAE debut and his debut for the Vipers in the side’s first match of the 2024 edition, as well as his hopes and expectations for the season to come.

Tanish also tells us about his background in cricket and how he started playing the sport in Dubai, and speaks about the Vipers' two new UAE signings for this season, Dhruv Parashar and Khuzaima Bin Tanveer.

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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.

Being chosen by the Vipers capped off an incredible 12 months for Dhruv that's seen him make his T20I and ODI debuts, and we’ll hear all about it over the course of a terrific chat.

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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 cricket, but also with his attitude around the squad, which was first-class.

His experience of the tournament was the start of a busy year as Nathan then headed to Zimbabwe for a T20 tournament with his county side Durham before helping the team to the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast in the UK, after which he was voted their player of the tournament by his team-mates.

Between the group stage and the quarter-final of the T20 Blast, Nathan slotted in for The Oval Invincibles in the men’s Hundred and, as was the case in 2023, he was part of the winning team in that competition.

And just when he thought his season was drawing to a close then he got a call from the Caribbean and joined the Guyana Amazon Warriors to deputise for their injured leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

But that wasn’t it for the year as Nathan then headed to Nepal to play in that country’s inaugural Nepal Premier League.

So many tournaments then, so much cricket for Nathan, and he tells us all about it here on Vipers Voices, as well as discussing his advocacy for the Vipers’ sustainability initiatives, his excitement at the prospect of once again working alongside Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, and how he rates the side’s chances of success in the upcoming action.

The logo for this episode is PalmFit, the UAE company that is producing the Vipers' kit for season three; it is something Nathan refers to in the podcast.

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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 with the Vipers - including his continuing international ambitions - and his hopes for the upcoming season of the DP World ILT20, and it’s a thoroughly engaging conversation.

David is the leading wicket-taker among seam and swing bowlers in the history of the Blast, a tournament that’s been staged since 2003, and it’s that sort of statistic that’s ensured he’s been snapped up by the Vipers. He spent the previous two winters playing in the Big Bash League in Australia and he explains in the interview why he’s switched to the UAE for this winter’s action. David also explains his experiences in UAE conditions, he talks about the fact that the Vipers have once again filled their roster with left-arm seam and swing bowlers and, on top of all that, David, who joined us on Vipers Voices during a break in training at Gloucestershire’s headquarters in Bristol, talks about who he’s looking forward to playing alongside and against and how he rates the side’s chances for the season.

Tickets are available for all Vipers matches. See the link below for your way to purchase them.

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