The Desert Vipers officially revealed their jersey and match kit for the inaugural International League T20 (ILT20) and made waves at Soul Beach in Dubai as captain Colin Munro rode in from the sea on a boat wearing the new team match kit on Monday.
Colin was joined on the beach by fast bowler Tymal Mills, who was dressed in the team’s training kit and the trio then displayed the Desert Vipers’ complete look for the inaugural season of the DP World ILT20.
Desert Vipers captain Colin Munro explained why the predominantly red Desert Vipers kit was right for him: ” Yes, it is very exciting, and my Mrs always said red was my colour, so it is obviously one to look forward to. “It is really good to be here and to meet the whole squad. There are a few missing, they will be coming in later tonight and tomorrow.”
When asked about his role as captain, Munro was quietly confident. “I am very relaxed about it (captaincy) when you look at the management and coaching support staff (in the Desert Vipers) as there is so much experience there,” Munro said in an official statement released by Desert Vipers.
“We have captains right the way through our experienced line-up as well, and I will be leaning on them too. I will be leaning on Bilbo (Sam Billings), and we have already had chats about our squad, and we are both looking forward to it. The only thing extra I am going to have to do on game day is tossed a coin.” Munro admitted that the Desert Vipers squad was a very well-curated set of players.
“I think we have got class the whole way down. It is going to be tough to leave some of those players out, but you have got to manage your squads as best as we can. If we can create a good environment where guys want to be a part of the squad, even if they are not playing and they are still giving their best at games and training, that is all I can ask for,” he said.
When asked if the team had what it takes to win the inaugural DP World ILT20 the Desert
Vipers captain was emphatic: “Absolutely (we can win it). I think all teams have good
squads, but we have a lot of players who we can call upon in terms of our bowling, batting,
and different strengths.
“But that is on paper. It is great to have a great team on paper, but cricket is won on the
field so if we can start off the tournament well and get a bit of momentum at the right
time, then hopefully we can go all the way,” he added.
Desert Vipers Director of Cricket Tom Moody was also impressed with the jersey and
as someone who has been a part of putting the unit together, he agreed that it reflected
the team’s goals and ambitions.
“All the kits have been carefully thought out, and they have come out really well. I think we are going to stand out on the field. It has been a challenge but an enjoyable one (to put this team together). We have got a good network of expertise behind the scenes, with the coaching staff, and also we used CricViz, a world leading analyst company, to help us refine our search and identify players who we felt were important for us – players who were not only available but fit the balance of our side and have performed in this environment in the UAE,” Moody said.
When asked if the team was capable of winning the trophy, Moody was confident of the
Desert Vipers chances.
“Absolutely (we can win the tournament) as we have got a strong squad. We respect the fact that there are a lot of good cricketers we will be coming across. But, at the end of the day, we feel confident that we will be playing finals. That is the aim, to be there at the backend of the tournament. And then hopefully we have got some good form on our side and a bit of luck,” he said. (ANI)
This report is filed by ANI news service. TheNewsMill holds no responsibility for this content.
